So, one of the things that I just don’t get about London 2003: one of the most popular mobile phone ring tones is the dit-dit-dit-DAH-DAH-dit-dit-dit SOS tone. I just don’t get it.

Well, today was supposed to be the outing to Paris, but Eurostar said “I don’t think so”. So, in response, we slept in. Well, not so much “slept in” as “missed the wake-up call and massively overslept”. Which was no big deal, as we didn’t have much of a plan for the day anyway.

We first headed over to Camden Market, home of clothing bargains and contact highs. Seriously. I swear, there had to be someone smoking up in every third stall. I had been looking for posters, prints, or other such wall hangings for the apartment, but found nothing I would call “acceptable”. (And, for the record, I don’t consider a flag with Bob Marley’s picture on it made completely from hemp “acceptable”.) After that, we took the tube down into Kensington, had some fish & chips (well, chips in my case. I’m not big on the seafood), and strolled around, admiring the architecture. We got nostalgic for our old digs, and took the District Line another two stops to Fulham, to visit the flat that was my home for 5 months in ’96.

What I found when I got to Fulham Broadway station amazed me. I’m still trying to register it. The last time I had been in Fulham, 7 years ago, it was pretty much like any other suburban London neighborhood. A supermarket (Safeway), a few high street shops (WH Smiths, Boots, etc), but for anything fancier than essentials, you had to go to a high street in either Kensington or Hammersmith. Hell, the nearest cinema was over a mile away in Chelsea. So imagine my shock as I exit the Tube and found a brand new shopping centre, complete with a new supermarket (Sainsbury’s), a Virgin Megastore, and an honest to god, brand new, 9-screen cinema. And what’s more, the whole area around Fulham Broadway has started to turn upscale. I noticed that a lot of the people moving from shop to shop were younger, hip, urban types, not the older, somewhat bitter people I remember from before. Fulham, it seems, is the new Chelsea.

Anyway, a quick stroll over to 29 Shorrolds Road (still painted green with a red door, and very possibly with the same curtains in the window), an even quicker nostalgia walk up North End Road, and it was back to the Tube. We headed over to Tower Hill for London Walks‘ Jack the Ripper Walk. Lead by a certified Blue Badge who has written books on the Ripper murders (and who gave Johnny Depp his education in the Ripper for his role in “From Hell”), we talked around the city and the East End, stopping at locations significant to the Ripper legacy. (The Ten Bells pub, incidentally, is still open for business.) I didn’t have much interest in this walk going in, but to hear the details from someone who really knows what he’s talking about makes all the difference in the world.

Anyway, that was pretty much the day. From there, it was Wagamama’s for some ramen, then to easyEverything so I could post this message. Now, it’s back to the hotel for sleep. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll be getting to the National Gallery (among other places) before yet another show.

While I’m thinking about it, here’s the rundown of what I’ve seen so far:
“My Fair Lady” at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
“The Talking Cure” (with Ralph Finnes) at the National Theatre
“The Breath of Life” (with Dame Judy Dench and Dame Maggie Smith) at the Haymarket
“Mnemonic” at Riverside Studios
“A Laughing Matter” at the National Theatre
and “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” (with Brenda Blethyn) at the Strand

There you go. More later…

Oh, one other thing. Starbucks is EVERYWHERE here. It was bad the last time I was here three years ago, but this time it’s even worse! It’s gotten to the point where there are almost as many Starbucks as McDonalds. Globalization – OY! (But on the other hand, they have Chocolate Creme Frappuccinos here, and they’re really yummy.)

Just a quick check-in. I’m still alive. Been seeing some great theatre, which I don’t so much have time to go into detail about, as I’m off to my next show in about 5 minutes. Was supposed to go to Paris tomorrow on the Eurostar, but computer woes continue to plague me on this trip, and the Eurostar ticketing computer cancelled out our booking without our knowledge – oh well. French people piss me off anyway. (Kidding!…maybe.)

I’m going to keep this check in short and cut myself off here, except to say that I’ve got some wonderful pictures of London’s “skyline” from the South Bank of the Thames (and from a pedestrian bridge in the middle of it!), and of the restored Globe Theatre, a visit to which is an education, let me tell you. Well, I would tell you, except I have to go! More later!

Oh, one other thing. I’m suffering from Phantom Cell Phone Syndrome. I wonder if bedrest is a cure…

…and I say that because of as of this writing, at 11:27PM London time, I have been up for the better part of 2 days. The flight was pretty much uneventful – I had a chance to watch “XXX” again, and found that while I still liked it, it lacked a certain something that even the worst of the Bond series manages to capture. (What that is…well, that’s an essay for another day.) Contrary to my best efforts, I was not able to get any sleep on the plane. Not that should be any surprise – I never sleep on planes – but it meant that I was starting to get a bit tired by the time Heathrow came into view on the Map Channel. We (‘we’ being myself and my friend Lee) landed at Heathrow right on schedule…and sat on the tarmac for half an hour. You see, the snowy weather we’ve had in NJ the last few days managed to follow me across the Atlantic. The snow also decided to create mayhem on greater London’s roads, so the minibus ride that should have taken 45 minutes tops took upwards of 2.

I’m happy to report, however, that these little mishaps with transport have not put a damper on my spirits. We managed to finagle an upgrade at our hotel (we’re in a “King Ambassador” room instead of the “standard”…oooh, swanky!), and despite massive fatigue, took in a fantastic performance of “My Fair Lady” at the Drury Lane tonight. (My friends, coffee is my ally today.) And having my knees jammed into an airline/minibus seat for the better part of the day didn’t stop me from reacquanting myself with Central London. I tell you, I love it here.

Anyway, I think it’s time I finally found my way to bed. No pictures as yet – not that I have a way to post them from here, but it’s the thought that counts – but since today was somewhat gray and snow-filled, there wasn’t much to shoot. Tune in tomorrow, dear reader, as I regale you with tales of the Underground and a show with TWO – count ’em – TWO! certified Dames in it. Good night, America!

So I could lie and say “I’ve been meaning to post an update, but I’ve been too busy.” Well, it’s not a complete lie – I have been pretty busy. But still, I haven’t really posted much since before the holidays. So here’s an update on stuff. And things. (Because it’s fun when there are things.)

– Becca was home, and good times were had. Well, when I allowed myself to have a good time. Or when I wasn’t too cheap to go with the group. Or…well, never mind.
– Bryan was home as well. There was chili. There was hot chocolate. There was some yummy angel food concoction. It was good.
– When did they change the name of Newark Airport to Newark LIBERTY International Airport? And why didn’t I get the memo?
– Dave & Busters is more fun when there aren’t as many people there. (Read: NOT New Year’s Eve.) Also, I thought they used to kick all the minors out at 10…maybe I made that last part up. *shrug* On the upside, I have discovered that I am pretty damn good at both pool and Skeeball. Also, the fireworks over the Delaware River were very impressive.
– “Catch Me If You Can” and “Gangs of New York” are both excellent movies. I would write more detailed reviews, but…just go see the movies, if you haven’t already. They’re both worthwhile. (Also, John Williams’ score for “Catch…” is outstanding.)
– “Knawck knawck.”…”Go f**k yaaself.”
– You miss a day, you miss a whole bunch of in-jokes.
– Jen has no qualms about hitting me upside the head.
– I’ve come to the conclusion that, in future, I should just take one immense chunk of time off from work rather than trying to break it up. Between 12/20 and 1/16, I’ll have only worked 4 days. But trying to get up for those work days…man, I thought algebra was hard…you just can’t gear up for the work thing when you know you’re just taking more days off.

Speaking of taking days off…I don’t want to tempt fate by posting this here, but…I’m going to London. Yeah, I know, I’ve said that before in this space, but this time, come hell, high water, snow, sleet, or natural disaster, I am getting on that plane Tuesday night. Of course, I have no plans on taking my laptop with me, so updates for the next couple of weeks are going to be few and far between, unless I can find an internet cafe convenient to my hotel. If I can, I fully plan to post details of my journey. I also plan on taking copious digital photos while there, but those won’t see the light of day until I get back.

So, there you are.

BBC NEWS | Technology | When every picture tells a story
…which asks the question, “could a cell phone that takes pictures pose a risk to privacy?”

Well, here’s an interesting year end top 10 list…apparently SFX Magazine polled readers to get the top 10 sci-fi characters of all time – and here’s how it came out.

1. Doctor Who (“Doctor Who” )
2. Spike (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”)
3. Buffy Summers(“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”)
4. John Crichton (“Farscape”)
5. Aeryn Sun (“Farscape”)
6. Han Solo (the “Star Wars” saga)
7. Willow Rosenberg (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”)
8. Darth Vader (the “Star Wars” saga)
9. Angel (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”)
10. Gandalf (“Lord of the Rings” )

Now, I’ve never seen (or really had any interest in watching) “Farscape”, so I’ll just have to take those with a grain of salt. But look at all the Buffy characters! And the Doctor is at the top of the list. (And, for the record, I’d like to point out that the only LOTR character on the list shows up at the very very bottom. So maybe I’m not the only one who doesn’t have any interest in those movies…)

I think everyone knows who I voted for.