- Adult proms are a perfect excuse to buy a new dress, get all gussied up, and take an obscene number of posed pictures.
- There is nothing quite like a handsome man in a good suit.
- Apparently the cool new hipster thing is to call the DJ a "deeszay," pronounced like the soft 'g' sound in DiGiorno. I have secretly embraced the amazingness of this as I did with "Tarjay" for Target. Things are just cooler with foreign pronunciations.
- At some point I am going to have to acknowledge defeat and recognize that my feet were simply not made for wearing heels. Despite the relative 'comfort' experienced while still at Top Shop, my appearance today as though I had just run a marathon has been painfully enlightening.
- Alas, outfit compliments make up for the pain. Almost.
- Florence and the Machine is amazing. The end.
- When a performer is playing a huge show back in her hometown it's pretty precious to see her get excited to give a shout-out to her family and to mention how she had been in the same venue to see another band play a few years ago. Never dreamed she'd be back to play there herself.
- At a standing room only venue, one must be fully prepared to throw some elbows to secure a quality vantage point. You might think Brits are 'too polite' to get mean back. FYI, they aren't.
- There's nothing quite like listening to an album on repeat for years and then hearing it sung even better live. Perfection.
- Parties in which you ask poor graduate students to bring Italian-style dishes bring out a certain level of creativity that can actually be deliciously surprising.
- Especially when a main dish consists of strawberries and whipped cream. Everyone's classy side was on full display as whipped cream towers grew to gravity-defying heights.
- Putting aside two essays and a presentation in favor of enjoying homemade tiramisu and cheap red wine with friends leads to an insanely stressful Sunday night. Worth it.
- Everything is simply prettier in Paris: flower, sidewalks, storefronts, even old newspapers on the ground. Gloomy days turn into delightful strolls along the Seine. Eiffel Tower in the background. You know, because it's a casual afternoon in PARIS.
- Wine is also tastier in Paris. Even the cheap, student/teacher-budget ones. And especially when your chairs are facing out onto the street so you can gawk at all the passersby without looking like you're staring. Forget the Louvre, this was Emily's favorite attraction. Obviously.
- I cannot EVEN handle the baby stuff. If I knew whether Sarah's little eggplant (is that what the size is now?!) was a boy or a girl, oh man. Cashmere booties, little pink capelets and ruffled babykinis almost put me over the edge. The store pictured above however, DONE. Game over. Sarah and Mike: This will be your Parisian destination #1.
- Despite incessant school stress, having a 'romantic' Parisian getaway with Emirry was exactly what I needed. Such a breath of stinky French cheese air :)
- Sunday Roasts are a necessary part of any true Englishman's weekend. As a local myself, I felt it was my patriotic duty to partake in this time-honored tradition. That and Emily was visiting so I needed to load her up on quality British produce.
- Group outings tend to be more popular and widely-attended when meat is involved. Fact.
- Granted, Paris is not exactly known for its gastronomic limitations, but a few recommendations from Parisian friends led us to quite possibly the best meal of our trip: couscous chicken and salmon with various veggies.
- Being Catholic did not prevent me from enjoying my meaty dish along with a few other meals that day...Sorry Mom. You should probably adopt Emily instead (see fish choice above).
- Bibimbap (previously mentioned on this blog) is yet another meaty meal that I forced upon Emily. In case the above picture does not fully demonstrate, she loved it. Every. Single. Bite. If you, too, are lucky enough to visit me here in Londontown I might be kind enough to introduce you to my dear Bibimbap. Start planning your trips accordingly.
- Apparently, Madrid is the Jan Brady to Barcelona's Marsha: fine on its own but constantly compared to its more beautiful and adored older sister. (Story of my life.) So when one's Madrid trip is unexpectedly cancelled, what better way to recover than to plan an even better one to Barcelona!
- La Sagrada Familia (pictured above) is quite epic and unarguably stunning...from the inside. From the outside, it closer resembles the dripped-sand-mud castles we used to build at the beach circa 1994. But, yeah, Gaudi did alright with this one. Definitely a must-see.
- Getting tips from my Spaniard-esque friends (ie Rachel) was incredibly helpful. Being able to avoid the tourist traps on and around La Rambla was perfect--especially since it took us into Barrio de Gracia where we found sunshine, beer, and happiness.
- Six years of high school Spanish and another 4 months of LSE-based review resulted in quite a few compliments from real live Spaniards. Was also spoken to a few times in a speed at which only legit Spanish speakers could understand. I got about 50% of it but still successfully navigated, ordered, chatted and occasionally translated. Mucho éxito indeed!
- Flamenco is not the dance of Barcelona. Spaniards from Andalusia in southern Spain do, however, often migrate north to cities like Barcelona and have brought Flamenco with them. And, as cheesy tourists, we obviously wanted to see a show. By 'we' I mean the only thing Bob had on his 'must-see' list was Flamenco/Spanish guitar. Thanks to his odd fascination, we went to a dinner/drinks performance that was simply amazing. Small, local place with live guitar (thank god) and delicious sangria. Perfect way to end the weekend.
