I bathed in human waste today
Mood:  smelly
Now Playing: Ministry - Rio Grande Blood
Topic: Stephen Says
Woking got hit by a flash flood and our drainage system failed so the basement at work got flooded by raw sewage (It was up to the door handles). I had to use plastic garbage bins to scoop out the 'water.' We used long sticks to un-block the drains. We lost a bedroom, bathroom and a large section of hallway. We had to cut apart copious amounts of carpet to stop the rot from setting in. We went to the pub.

I am exhausted. I didn't go to bed 'till 1AM last night and had to be up and at work at 6:30AM to set up for these managerial interviews. All I've eaten today is a cheese sandwitch.

I dry heaved for 5 minutes.
I am not happy.
I used my Amazing Managerial Ability to pay myself and my collegue who helped me time and a half because no one should have to go to the pub covered in other peoples piss and shit.
My converse are in the washing machine.
I think I've lost a good pair of Levis, shirt, and other things.
I assert: I am not happy.

I don't know if I want to drink myself silly or just go to bed because a couple of pints and double Jack's and cokes barely had an effect.

Bleah.

2 crap videos of Rome
Topic: Roma 2006
1) Walking up the Spanish Steps at about 1:30AM during La Notte Bianca. Basically I was trying to caputre the sheer amount of people but I was moving my phone around too much:


2) This is outside the bar where we were drinking. Oe guy's playing the accordian, the other the plates (And a wooden spoon). I couldn't get too close to them because of the volume of people going past me, unfortunately:


Anyway, the quality's crap but I'm working on it. This technological stuff is beyond me. If you can make the videos smaller, they're more fluid.

Stuff
Topic: Stephen Says
I've been meaning to blog about a bunch of things but haven't gotten around to doing it for a while. And then other stuff happens and I want to blog about that but there's the previous thing to blog about and so I don't and the viscious cycle continues in a never ending cycle. Visciously.

One thing I wanted to blog about was the sheer crap that was the Vatican but Sean summed it up better than I could in his comment. Basically, I couldn't bother to get pissed off by the sheer over-abundance of wealth that directly goes against what Jesus said he wanted. But I suppose that to care too much about it either way is to care more than its worth. After all, what does the Catholic church do now-a-days other than stoke Christian/Muslem tension? Thank you very much, The New Pope.

One look at the cardinals/bishops/priests during the service I saw pretty much exposes them for being snotty elitists with their heads so far up their asses that they may as well be left in their imaginary world where tourists come to bask in their glory and all the women have their shoulders covered.

In some ways the Vatican is a little like London - A stomping ground for tourists where the locals are the main attraction only they don't realise it.

Over the past weekend I pretty much overdid it. I'm 30 now and am not allowed to have fun. At least the kind of fun I used to have. Fun for me now is sitting in Stabucks sipping an espresso discussing the political merits of the latest George Clooney movie.

I had a mildly surreal evperience at Waterloo station at 7:30 Sunday morning where I wound up in a music video. My attenton was caught by a tall Asian man with a double guitar, big floppy leather hat and wearing a technicolour dream coat who was surrounded by young, beautiful people. 'Ooh, clubbers,' I thought and went over to bask in their youthful exuberance when music started suddenly and everyone formed lines and started dancing and clapping.

I tried to ake a video but a 7 foot tall, 6 foot wide bouncer got in my face and started shouting at me. I kind of wish i'd gotten that on video as well.

Anyway, let me know if you see the video. That's me standing off to one side drunk, confused and eating a roasted vegetable & brie sandwich with a newspaper under one arm.

I've also been trying to upload some videos of Rome but Youtube's being fiddley and irritating.

Anyway, I suffered through a couple of days of zombie-hood and am back at work. Tomorrow are the interviews for a new manager which is weird because I've got to informally interview people who, if they get hired, will cause me to lose my 'promotion.'

One candidate rang up yesterday to ask if she needed any mental health knowledge so I feel that my position may be quite safe.

Wacky Wednesday
Mood:  hungry
Now Playing: Neko Case- Fox Confessor...
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Stephen's just finished making a tortellini bake for the South African queen and her son who are coming over this evening. Back in January for her birthday I pledged a free piano lesson to her (on request). And only now, have we managed to arrange one.

Last night I had my second volunteering session at the YPOD. I'm being trained up to be the shift manager on Tues. evenings. This will be in conjunction with the hour of theatre on Fridays which I hope will start beginning of Oct. I imagine it will take a few weeks to get its feet off the ground.

The YPOD has a cafe, and therefore I've learned how to make espresso on the 10K GBP machine, make lattes, cappucinos, and iced coffee (it's not just cold coffee with milk, like I had always thought).

There's a recording studio at the YPOD and a small stage for gig nights, open mike nights, and hmmm, maybe variety shows?

I'm looking forward to dinner the most at the moment...

Elisabeth claims that it wasn't her
Naked man attacked in Woking town centre

Rome: The Words Blog
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Roma 2006
(NOTE: please see Stephen's pictoral blog entry for more pictures)

FRIDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER 2006:

Our trip to Rome started on Friday the 8th at 10:15am when we departed from the Woking train station. We never left rail tracks until 9:45am Saturday morning. Our Woking train pulled into London Waterloo with ample time to spare for us to go downstairs to the Eurostar station. Stephen took the extra time to have a mini "freak-out" and pulled me over to one side to ask if I could carry his swiss army knife key-chain in my purse. Because of security. I tried to remind him that on a train, no luggage is checked in, and therefore, it doesn't matter whether or not an object is in your pocket, purse or suitcase. But I obliged nevertheless. The French customs were pretty lax, and it was a breeze to get on that train to Paris. I enjoyed watching London and then the Kentish countryside roll out of view as with hit the darkness of the chunnel for 20 min. Once through, immeidately a sense of space was evident.

Generally though, the countryside looked similar to some of the English countryside. Exceptions were the style of houses and churchs that made up the country villages.

And blink, in no time at all we pull into Gare du Nord and strolled into the very efficient and clean Metro. (ahem: London why can't you renovate the tubes eh? Be a little more like Paris?) The train to Rome was leave Gare Bearcy (in the 12th arrondisement). So we had a couple of hours to wander around the area, where we found a lovely park to walk through mazes, rose gardens, sculptures, etc...here's a building covered in grass:

We should have stayed longer in the park, or have enjoyed a pavement cafe or brasserie, but we didn't realize that travelling in the continental EU, you can jump on your train 5 min. before it departs. In fact, they don't let you board but 10 min. before it departs anyway. No check in, nothing! Lovely.

I can remember the feeling of bewilderment as we found our couchette. Just as you imagine from films: behind a sliding door, there are 2 benches where 3 people sit facing 3 other people. The top half of the bench flips down into one bed, while the bottome half serves as a second. And above this, a bed hangs down for the other people. Very close quarters, and with some people having large suitcases, it's an extremely tight squeeze. We shared our cabin with 3 Italian woman: 1 teenager, 1 mother, 1 grandmother. They were very chatty and then went to bed early. The other was a french 20 something who knew the ropes. A bit awkward at first though. We went to the dining car to kill some time and realized that for 50 euros we could eat tomato & basil spagetti at shakey tables. No thanks. So we got the only vegetarian option at the snack bar: 2 huge salads (& a bottle of red wine). It was fun to try eating standing up on a shakey train, listening to Americans talking way to much and too loudly, and then burping.

But no matter how much you want it to, salad doesn't really make you feel full. But breakfast in Rome we thought!

SATURDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER 2006

We both had slept on an off through the night. And at some point in the wee hours of the morning the 3 ladies had left the train (for Florence?). So Stephen & I let the French man sleep while we admired the Tuscan countryside from the window outside our cabin. I remember feeling how much better it was than flying. Then the countryside turned into suburbs, and then into urban Rome. Lovely buildings crammed together with not so lovely buildings, ancient walls etc...

And we rolled into Statizone Termini on time, with an hour and a half to find our hotel before meeting Jenn (my brother Mark's wife who's in Rome for research). But on our way there, we bumped into her on a street corner. Yay! Let the games begin. But first I desperately needed an Italian coffee and something to eat! We had no trouble finding such a place and enjoyed the reviving qualities of the strong coffee.

We checked into our hotel, freshend up, and then started our journey through Rome at the top of the Spanish Steps. We decided we would find the Trevi Fountain, which we did after getting turned around a bit) the Pantheon, the Forum, the Colloseum and then see how much time we had. So we did just that grabbing pay by the pound pizzas, gellatos and bottles of water along the way. I must say the weather was perfect. Hot, but not too hot, and sunny with true blue skies.

I found the city to be full of tourists, but it hasn't seemed to have chased Romans from living in the historical areas. So it had an authentic feeling of continued life--not just a historical tourist area--from ancient times to present.

It's hard to put into words the scale and range of architecture that we saw. Mostly because I not so very little about architecture that I couldn't really apreciate it fully. Nevertheless, for me, the ignorant, it was still impressive and inspiring. I must get a book on the Romans and try to understand how they were so innovative, confident and successful in just about everything.

After walking and walking and seeing all of the above, we decided it was time to chill out and eat and drink. So we went across the Tiber river to Trastevere. There was a very bohemian section, packed with restaurants and bars. We had some aperatifs, and then walked around in circles for a good 30 min. trying to decide on a restaurant. Typically, we chose one of the worst restaurants any of us had ever been to. For starters, the food was bland, which was criminal. How despressing to be in Rome eating bland food! They had a small selection of vegetarian dishes, 2 of which were unavailable. The gnocci that Stephen received turned out to be laced with beef, and therefore inedible. How do you complain in Italian? To a staff who look like they are about to loose it? So we didn't complain to the staff, but to each other. Not making for a lovely meal... They forgot to bring Jenn's wine, and then to top it all off they espresso was burnt.

We left no tip. Stephen went to a pizza stall and had a better dinner there.

We headed back over the river to explore the festival Notte Bianca where cultureal events would be happening all night. We never heard or saw any music or performances. We followed the crowds down Via Corsa, stopping at a side street to look at tourist kitch like fridge magnents and posters. One stall was selling a poster of Mussolini, in a hitler salut. Hey? What's that about?

We found ourselves back at Trevi Fountain somehow where not very far away we parked ourselves down with beer for a few hours and had a delightful time crowd watching from our outdoor tables. Some people at the restaurant next door started playing some lively music with a small accordian, tambourine and a man playing two plates like they were spoons. It was lovely.

After leaving this place we wanted to continue basking in the festivities, but I believe out of exhaustion (it was 1am) communication started breaking down, and we just headed back to our hotels.

SUNDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER 2006

Today was Vatican day. Good choice for a Sunday morning. Of course we were all a bit zonky and tired after Saturdays escapades. We walked over to Vatican City and stood in line to go up to the cupola. This involved walking over 500 stairs to the top of the dome of St. Peter's basilica. If you look at Stephen's picture blog you can see the view we had of the inside of the church during Sunday mass. We also got to walk around the outside of the cupola where we got some breathtaking views of Rome.

Now, comments on the Vatican. This was not a holy place. This was a shrine. A shrine to befit kings, emperors and I supposes even popes. But a shrine to Jesus? Yes, I believe it's said somewhere in the Bible that instead of taking care of the poor, please can you hire the best artists to make beautiful status and paintings of me. Make imagaes and idols he said. Use as much gold leaf and marble, nothing else will do!

The place is almost gaudy with its exhibition of wealth and prestige. I couldn't bring myself to care really.

So we left and had pizza on a fabulous side street next to an old city wall.

Just like in Rome, it is at this point I/we run/ran out of steam. After our very nice lunch, we headed towards the train station, had some beers, and left Jenn at an internet cafe. We killed some time. Walked into a fabulous church that I can not remember the name of. We did some shopping at the train station. I sprayed myself with perfume to hide the sweaty stench, as we would be packed into another 6 person cabin shortly.

And we boarded the train, just as casually as in Paris. We were the only ones in our cabin at first, but a couple hours away we were joined by 4 Italian teenagers on their first trip to Paris. They were pretty cute.

And to wrap up quickly: we had to have salad again for dinner on the train, we slept well that night, and very quickly found ourselves in Paris. We did the Metro in reverse, found ourselves at Gare du Nord, we bought papers and bagette sandwiches and boareded the Eurostar. 2.5 hours later we were in Waterloo where we boarded a train to Woking within 10 min. and then found ourselves at home.

Lets here it for fun, environmentally clean, and friendly trains!

No Blogging
Now Playing: Love - Forever Changes
Topic: Stephen Says
What's this? No blogging? Frankly, we've been up to our eye balls busy. Me: working like a mo-fo. Elisabeth: Schmoozing with 4 generations of woking mayors & assorted dignitaries and politicians associated with Surrey. Pity, really, because when there's nothing going on there's lots of blog-time available and when there is stuff (And pretty interesting stuff at that), there's silence.

Rome in Pictures
Now Playing: Nomeansno - Why do they call mt Mr. Happy?
Topic: Roma 2006
Okay, so I had a heckuva day back at work - incident reports, key working sessions, visits from area managers, meetings with wankers from other organizations responding to complaints against me and my complaints against them, etc, etc, etc. It was like all the good that 4 days off can give you obliterated in the first 15 minutes of your day back at work.

So here are some crazy pictures of Rome to make me happy.
I also realized that we saw so damn much that I have no idea what we saw.
Just historic building after building after building...
first off, the big ones:
The view of Rome from the top of St. Peter's Basillica:

Augustine's Mausoleum:

Elisabeth and Jenn being dwarfed by such a really big random building that it warrants noting:
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Elisabeth & Jenn consulting maps on top of the Spanish Steps (There was a lot of map consulting):

Trevi Fountain:

The awesome ceiling of the Pantheon:

Elisabeth on the streets of Rome:

Statue of a dude that sorely needs to take a crap:

Elisabeth & Jenn consulting a map:

The Forum X2:

The Colluseum:

Elisabeth & Jenn consult a map:

A random cool statue I liked:

Me & Jenn at the top of a ridiculously high & steep staircase that leads to nothing that we should never have climbed in the first place but did anyway even though we'd walk everywhere:

A Sunday service inside St. Peter's taken from the top of the dome:

Horsing arund in Vatican City:

...And sometimes there are things that no words can describe:

Anyway, I'm doing a long day sleep in tomorrow so I won't be around 'till Thursday night to describe the atrocities in full. Unless Elisabeth does it first. In which case I'll just rant about the opulent crapulence of The Vatican.

PS - This is what I look like in my new glasses:
(In a Park in Paris):
(Sorry - I know that's rubbing it in but we're pretty chuffed [note British slang] about getting off our asses and actually doing the kind of travelling that we've been talking about for years.):
(My God, YEARS!):

Back
Now Playing: Tom Waits - Real Gone
Topic: Stephen Says
...And we're back from La Roma and surprisingly not tired - let's hear it for sleeper cars!. Pics, thoughts and low rez videos to follow over the next few days as real life rears its ugly head and makes us do things. In Woking.

We're waiting on Dominos (I know, I know, sacrilage after what we've tasted.) and a crap/brainless movie (What's it gonna be - Jodie Foster in flightplan or Mister Bean in Johnny English?) before we turn in.

By the way, anyone out there know what happened 5 years ago today?

I'll give you a clue... It's September the 11th...

If you answered 'Stephen phoned Elisabeth to ask her out on a date,' you win. Advance to 'Go' and collect a Life card.

Oh, and among other things...
Now Playing: Faith No More - The Real Thing
Topic: Stephen Says
Today marks the 5 year anniversay of Elisabeth and I getting drunk and making out at a party, signalling, um, signalling whatever it signalled.

And The Independent, in keeping with it's habit of having utterly crap insets, has a guide to mountain and moorland birds. I now know what the Ring Ouzel, Meadow Pipit and Golden Plover look like. I have discovered that a bird named the Ptarmigan exists (It's a plump gamebird that lives in the mountains of Scotland though, in cold weather, may move to the edge of forests), I can tell the difference between a male and female Hen Harrier and, most importantly, have learned that Ravens make a 'hollow sounding "kronk, kronk" or "Prrruk, prrruk" call."

Thank God.