Let's start with Megatripolis. Wow. This night was so unique. The event was a one-off party put on at Heaven to re-live the glory days of a club scene in the 90's. This was "conscious clubbing." Basically, a hippy movement, sort of like Burning Man, in which artsy types get together, meditate, dance, make speeches about enlightenment and aliens, and other stereotypical. Not sure if that made since. The night started with an old guy telling me how he was related to James Dean and Marie Boelyn. He had a friend who was like Mother Theresa, and when he wore her shoes, he could kick footballs more accurately. Needless to say, he provided me with a lot of story ideas. What a nut!
Other than that, there was a room where people could talk about whatever they liked. Upstairs, a group discussed how to purify yourself by running coconut water through your nose. Another room had lasers shooting through fog machines with tribal techno thumping away. The whole night was just one big trip. I can't wait to write a short story about it.
That weekend, I visited Sarah Wachter in Paris! It was so great to leave the city for an adventure in France. We had a blast! It was great to see her. She's studying abroad for this whole year and can speak French pretty well, which was nice because I don't speak it at all. I tracked her down once I got off the Eurostar, and we began our fun.
We spent the day walking around, eating typical Parisian food, and shopping a little bit. Then we met a friend, Steven, for dinner. Very nice. After that, we wanted to go to a disco, and that we did. We went to Queens club and literally danced all night. It's a very nice place, and I know my dad will appreciate the pictures/video of the ladies who danced on the platform. Scandalous.
After a few hours of sleep in a hostel, I met Sarah at her host family's flat, and we set our for Sacre Coure. It was as amazing as I remembered. Truly one of my favorite places in the world. The view was amazing as well. We could see all of Paris. After that, we made our way to the Pompidou, one of my favorite museums ever. All of the art blew me away. I could have spent all day there, but we just a couple of hours. And then, my whirlwind weekend came to an end. I hopped back on the Eurostar and headed home to London. It was exhausting, but incredible!
Over the next two weeks, I went to a slew of music gigs. It's kind of crazy how many bands I've seen while in London. I'm really thankful for this accessibility to music. Every week is another show. So, I saw Parenthetical Girls/High Places/Mt. Eerie at The Dome on the 17th. Parenthetical Girls absolutely killed their set; just amazing. Very theatrical and intense. Four days later, the 20th, I saw Andrew Bird perform in St. Gile's church. I've already seen him about three times, and this was still great. He mainly played stuff from the new, unreleased album, so that was cool. It was also interesting to hear him play in such a holy venue. Not every day you go to a concert in a church.
Jump to the 25th. I saw Women and Chad VanGaalen play at the Borderline. Both were great. The next day I saw Jay Reatard at the Lexington. It was crazy good. On the 29th, I saw Titus Andronicus at the Astoria 2. That show continued the trend of amazinness set by all of the bands before. However, the band to truly rise above all the others was Wolf Parade (at the Electric Ballroom on the 1st. Wow! One of the best shows I've ever seen. They had such energy, and their performance was so tight. I was in awe during the whole show.
Two days later, I saw Department of Eagles play at the Lexington. Another good show. They are really new, and this was their second live show ever. They had their act together, and the crowd was in love. And, tomorrow I am seeing Fantomas play at the Astoria. I am so pumped. If you recall, I exclusively used this band's music for my high school horror film, Bloodthirst. They broke up in the 90's, but they're back to perform the album that inspired me so much. It's a unique opportunity, and I cannot wait to back in the nostalgic bliss of their live show. It should be one to remember! And on top of that, I'm seeing Vivian Girls at Madame Jojo's the night after.
So, in review, that's 9 gigs in 23 days.
Oh, and Thanksgiving. Can't forget that! I was sad to not be home for Thanksgiving, but I made up for it by travelling to Grantham and celebrating at Harlaxton. It was so great to re-aquaint myself with the manor. I loved my summer session there; so many good memories. I loved being around all of the other students, too. Americans! The British don't understand Thanksgiving. However, my managers understood it's importance to me, so I got the day off.
The dinner was the real deal. You'll love the picture of my plate. We had all of the traditional food: mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams with marshmallows, green beans, turkey, rolls, and cranberry sauce. And, finally, pumpkin pie! London just doesn't have pumpkin pie, and it kills my soul. I had been craving some for a while. So, all in all, my Thanksgiving was not the lonely sob fest it could have been. Instead, it was almost as special as home. I mean, you can't beat the real thing, but you can try.
I think that's all for now. Hopefully, I can put up the pictures/videos in the next few days, but don't hate me if it takes longer. I am working like a dog right now, and it's the Christmas season, so I'm a little oversome with Selfridge's stress. I love you all and will see you sooner than you realize. Christmas is rapidly approaching, then it will be New Year's. The next think you know, it'll be February, and I'll be flying back to the USA. (Although it's not over yet, so be excited for new entries about all of the crazy stuff I'll pack into these last two months.) I'll try and update more often, too.
Well, it's sleep time for me. I work tomorrow, the next day, oh, and the next day, too. Good night!
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