Emily's summer concert series

My summer concert spree started last night with Dave Matthews Band at Wembley Arena. I've been seeing Dave Matthews live for about 10 years now but I still love it every time. I have great difficulty narrowing down my Top 5 or Top 10 bands but I know DMB would definitely make the Top 5 (although I'm not sure which position they would hold there). London was the last stop on their European tour, how could I not go?

We met a few American guys in the tube who were also going to the show. They had just graduated from college and were backpacking through Europe. Steph enjoyed pulling out her southern accent when we were talking to them! There was also another girl on the tube going to the concert. You know how I could tell? She was wearing a Dave Matthews T-shirt! That is a serious no-no. You can't wear the band's t-shirt to their own concert. Well, I take that back, maybe if you're under 14 years old you can get away with it.

Last night the band was accompanied by some extra instruments including a keyboard, trumpet and Tom Morello on guitar. The setlist included some new songs and a lot of classics. I particularly enjoyed the amazing version of Louisiana Bayou and You Might Die Tryin'. They also played some of my favorites like When the World Ends and Lie in our Graves. Most of the other songs were from Crash, Before These Crowded Streets and The Best of What's Around.

Next up, Snow Patrol, another band in my Top 5! Maybe if I get ambitious I'll work on nailing down my top 10. I don't think I can do Top 5, that would be too difficult and it might break my heart to leave people out.

a very English weekend

Saturday I went on a walk in the English countryside with some girls from church. I think going on walks is a very English thing to do. In America we go on walks around parks or around the neighborhood, but we don't generally organize social events around walks. Here it seems pretty common to go out in the country for long walks. Anyway, I was pretty disoriented as far as what direction we were walking, but I know we walked about 17k from Farham to Guildford. We also stopped along the way for a pub lunch and tea and cakes. You can see more pictures here.It's also an English weekend because it's been raining. It's a bank holiday weekend (any long weekend here is called a bank holiday) and it's somewhat infamous that there is bad weather on holiday weekends. Last week was sunny and in the 70s and now it's cold and rainy. Perfect for watching movies on the couch! I love the feeling on Sunday when you don't have to work on Monday...

a milestone

As scary as change may be, as much as I worry and over-analyze it, I really do find the curveballs that life throws exhilarating. Sometimes I might feel it less than others but deep down it's true. If I had a motto it might be "Life is an adventure."

Well, today may be considered somewhat of a milestone on my journey (at least I feel like it is!). I made a trip to the US embassy because I needed to get additional pages put into my passport! Whoa. I guarantee when I got this passport in 2002 I never dreamed I would fill it up with stamps. If I counted correctly, there are stamps or visas from 14 cities and countries and some of them more than once (although I don't really care if I go to Frankfurt anymore!). A couple, Tokyo and Korea, don't really count because I was only in the airport, but still. I'm sure it's not a lot compared to some people but it's more than I ever expected at this point in my life. I think I have enough pages to get me through a few more weeks at least.

I have Brussels, the Cote d'Azur and Switzerland ahead of me this summer. Life is crazy- keep it coming.

feeling a little green

This won't be news to my [few] London readers, but others may find it interesting that yesterday they covered Trafalgar Square with grass as a part of a tourist campaign. It's only for a limited time and will be taken off today. You can see more pictures here.

something new

Another virgin birth? I learn something new every day...

I also learned they actually make gummy rat candy when I saw it in the snack shop at work. As much as I'm a fan of gummy bears, cherries, worms, etc I can't see myself ever eating a gummy rat. That's pretty much disgusting.

the next level

What's the next level after baking mixes? Ah, yes...refrigerated cookie dough. Isn't America beautiful?

Well guess what? I got some refrigerated cookie dough today! Apparently they sell it at Costco, and maybe Sainsbury. I don't have a Costco membership but a friend at work got me a pack. So I'm about to enjoy a nice, warm chocolate chip cookie made in minutes. Plus I already had a piece of the raw dough.

Life is good.

PS. To my British friends- don't judge me til you try it.

ONE

Check out this speech by BONO, now available in book form, from the National Prayer Breakfast in 2006. The speech and the book are in support of the ONE campaign to end extreme poverty in Africa. It's a good read (even if it does lean a little heavily towards the social justice gospel).

Recap

It's been a great week in Cincinnati! I left London just in time to avoid the rain and have been enjoying the sun and 70 degree weather here. I enjoyed cookouts and eating dinner with my family in the backyard. I enjoyed eating Mexican food, pizza, Cheesecake Factory and BW-3. I had fun driving, going to the Reds game and catching up on Grey's Anatomy and The Office.

I had a great time with friends and family, although one week really isn't enough. It's nice to spend time and catch up with friends who have I have a long history with...although it starts to make me feel old when I think about how long we've known each other and what we've been through together. There is a certain feeling of security and relaxation I feel when I'm at home in the evenings with my family that can't quite be replicated. It was good to be back!

Although I'm not looking forward to the rain, I'm looking forward to seeing my friends in London again...am I allowed to have 2 homes?

photo booth

I'm digging the photo booth on my Mac. You can do some cool effects! Check it out...

as American as baseball and apple pie

I went to the Reds game on Tuesday night. This will probably be my only chance to go this season since people in the UK don't get baseball. That's fine- I think cricket looks ridiculous on TV so I guess we can agree to disagree on some things.

We didn't win but I loved it anyway. I've always enjoyed going to the games. I go partly to watch the baseball and partly for the atmosphere. I love to go and hang out with friends, soak up the sun, listen to the music and the crowd, and eat hot dogs and frosty malts. Sometimes I find myself distracted during the game and miss the big plays until people start to cheer! I especially like that the stadium is beside the river, I think it adds even more "Cincinnati" flavor.

To me baseball games signal summer and relaxation. I'll make my final judgement when I go to a cricket match but I'm pretty sure it can't compare.

I prefer my chocolate with ice cream...

I'm not sure if I've tasted anything better than my mom's homemade ice cream and hot fudge sauce. It is to die for! I like lots of desserts...tiramisu, creme brulee, brownies...but I'm pretty sure nothing beats this hot fudge sauce. I like to have it with a little ice cream. Not ice cream with hot fudge sauce- I mean hot fudge sauce with ice cream. A little ice cream swimming in a bowl of hot fudge sauce. In fact, ice cream is not even necessary. When I get to the end I like to finish off with a spoonful of sauce!

Yeah. It's nice to be home.

Crossover

Meet my new baby...
I've crossed over to the Mac-world with my purchase of a new Macbook. Thanks to Melissa (my favorite teacher and sister) I got a sweet discount and didn't have to pay any taxes! Yippee. Now I can see for myself how much better a Mac really is.

observations on travel

Sitting on the runway at Heathrow I had lots of time to think about travel. Mostly about how I can't believe I used to think flying was so fun and how I should always travel with relaxing herbal supplements. I was also thinking about how great Duty* Free shops are. Airports are a shopper's (or browser's) paradise- at least for a girl like me. There are stores full of sunglasses, watches, make-up, chocolate and perfume. Fortunately I can only buy so many bottles of perfume and I never quite feel like carrying much. Although on my way back to Cincinnati I'm contemplating buying a new watch.

When I arrived in Germany I found myself wanting to say "gracias" to everyone...When I went to Paris a few times I got used to saying "merci." Then I went to Spain twice and had to get out of that habit and switch to "gracias." Now that I was in Germany I had to switch to "danke." I remember when I went to Thailand I knew I wasn't supposed to be speaking English but at the beginning the first thing that popped into my head was Spanish. With all this traveling around it's hard to keep track!

Once I arrived at my hotel I was reminded of two questions I've had over my last few trips. First, why do no European hotels have wash cloths? Do people here not use them? Second, why do all hotels have crappy hair dryers? Usually they are just boxes on the wall with a plastic tube that gives off somewhat warm air with very little power. I've resorted to bringing my own because I can't rely on hotel hair dryers to dry my hair. I should really buy myself a travel size.

My last thought was that it's a fun surprise to get your hotel room upgraded. It's only happened to me twice and this time wasn't that big of a deal. I just got a slightly bigger room with better furniture (and a better hairdryer!) but it was still nice. It reminded me of when I went to Hong Kong I got upgraded to a great room for one night. It was on a floor that needed special key card access and it had an amazing view of Hong Kong Harbor! Now I just need to figure out how to get my flights upgraded.

Maybe I will think of some more mildly interesting observations on my way back to Cincy.

*duty...hehe... (just of the "Friends" episode where duty= doody)