Excesses

[dangtri]

Spent the most lovely, but massively over-the-top shopping day with m_nivalis in London today.

'Twas simple -- I took all her suggestions on a wide-ranging list of potential items from perfume (Blue Agava & Cacao, if you can believe it, though Lime Basil & Mandarin is still very high on my list and will, I believe, require another visit to the shop) to various paper-based art forms. My only consolation is that her acquisitions were even bulkier. Oh, and I could introduce her to my favourite-ever fast-food restaurant (Leon). Maybe no excuse is required -- it was all great fun, with spring in full force, particularly in Kensington Roof Gardens. Which also offers rare ducks and flamingos.

I had to leave slightly early, as I had a rare spot of weekend-duty for my job, doing some testing after a major hardware upgrade. My stuff was supposed to come in at 7pm, but the others (based in Denver, Toronto and Dublin ... I'm getting used to this sort of regionally distributed collaboration) were over three hours ahead of schedule. Oops. Luckily, there were technical reasons that kept me from even theoretically starting before 6 pm, which was good because that's when I managed to be online and available.

It's been "meet LJers live" time lately, with traipsing around the Oxfordshire countryside and through Stratford-upon-Avon with m_nivalis and graylion and, for the latter, celemon over Easter. Lots of enjoyable (by which I mean: smart, bookish, geeky, and brilliant) company, thanks to graylion and his Swedish connections. Or something like that.

Stratford's a slightly strange place. A bit depressing at the train station end, with a long string of (mostly) "fish bars". (It never ceases to amaze me how many regional terms there are for what's called "chippies" in London and "chippers" in Dublin.) Then the very model of a 21st century English high street, with all the requisite retail chains and a few extra, plus a handful of rural-ish pub-par-restaurant places offering "Cream Tea" and the like. Then after that a huge crowd of tourists and day-trippers hanging about the clump of theatres. The sights themselves -- Christ Church for example, which is grand -- weren't all that overrun, in the end.

Maybe things are changing or settling down for me in this country. Or I'm misinterpreting what stuff means. Because I'm like hell totally confused about things like now not only owning a skirt, but even liking it and indeed wearing it.

Another lesson from the Stratford trip is that there is at least one competent and pleasant train company operating out of London, and that's Chiltern Railway. They even let me upgrade my (already used!) single fare to a special-price day return for the exact price difference between the two: £ 0,10. Yep.

Comments

[graylion.livejournal.com]

well, you seem to be catching the kilt bug :) all you need now is a decent (or indecent rather) pair of boots ;) something like this?

[dangtri.livejournal.com]

Sweetie, in principle, yes, as they say at Radio Yerewan, but a) I currently own multiple pairs of boots-that-would-go-with-skirt (and a single bootable skirt!), b) these, while lovely looking, take DAYS to lace up and c) whatever happened to restraint when self-advertising, hmmm?

[dangtri.livejournal.com]

P.S.: Today's shopping included a pair of footless tights for pretty much that purpose -- to go with skirt'n'boots.

[graylion.livejournal.com]

sounds like the name of a pub ;)

[graylion.livejournal.com]

OK, you have obviously been exposed to me lacing up my monster version of said boots ;) and restraint? phh! I need links *g* sorry to abuse your LJ though.

BTW doktorjoy claims he can lace this kind of thing in 5 minutes. not that I believe him ...

[dangtri.livejournal.com]

Ah, you know I want you to get all the links you can... not to mention that LJ seems to implement the nofollow attribute, though in a slightly strange way.

[graylion.livejournal.com]

da wot? html |= me

[vasilatos]

Mmmm, yummy to see you. I'm just 8 days away from my degree and must must must pay my attention elsewhere, or I'd by leaping around with boots for you.

Paper about ricin just finished. It came out well but for some part sentences due to migraine. Tough tootie, it was understandable.

Give me just a little more time (song reference), and my robes (red and grey with a funny hat) will show up and oh boy...

http://www.bu.edu/commencement/2007/dress.html

[pyrzqxgl.livejournal.com]

That is some cute outfit!

[vasilatos]

Yeah, it's impressive in the picture. But it arrived this morning, and nooooo, it's a cheapy thing that doesn't look like that. The robe has no stripes, and the hat isn't that velvet poofy thing. Still, it'll look pretty fine on the day, I guess, red and black with a multi-thing that hangs off the back.

You generally don't want clothing that says explicitly: DO NOT CLEAN OR EXPOSE TO RAIN.

Ah well. Why do they always give you the fattest assignment at the end? I'm supposed to explain the genesis of both the Irish Troubles and the problems in the Middle East by this weekend. Puhleez. :-)

[dangtri.livejournal.com]

You. Can. Do. It.

It's great that you're going to be done so soon!

And you are going to look marvellous, I'm sure of that. (I actually thought of you during our shopping spree when we were looking at earrings that were too regal (and long) for either of us.)

As for the outfit, I checked and it looked like an official Boston University site ... but why on earth is there a CHILD in an academic outfit? I mean, even BU won't graduate four-year-olds, will they? Is this just about dressing up then? I thought it was a mark of personal achievement... but note that I come from a background where "academic dress" means either jeans, dusty slacks, or at the very most formal a scruffy suit.

[vasilatos]

Ahem. Nose up, chin out: we are talking about "commencement regalia".

And it's not the same as in the picture with the odd kid. My whole family is piling in for the ceremony, complete with traffic management to keep Mom and Dad apart to limit fireworks. This is so exciting! My brother and sister and nephews and Dad and Mom and both stepparents are coming. (Unfortunately, many of us are staying at Mom's, and I guarantee that my nephews will drive me mad and there will be a scene where I yell at them because they're giving me a headache, and their mother lashes out at me, and we end up looking at each other resentfully... again.)

But I still have to explain all this global conflict by the weekend... Lucky for me, George Mitchell is my uncle so I can pull that out of my butt.