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November 27, 2002

...and now..in STEREO!

Hi.

I'm writing this from bed. I dunno why, it's just easier to write in here. Presently there are four of us in here: the dog, the cat, my husband and me. Sometimes it feels as if there isn’t anywhere comfortable to sit in this flat. But we will be moving soon! Hopefully the new place might not have a batshit loon of a neighbour who flips out when you play music at a normal level at 2 in the afternoon. *crossing fingers* Of course I also just came to the realization that I can use my headphones to listen to music on my laptop. Since we don't have a stereo anymore, this is pretty much the only option, unless I want to hook up to the soundsticks, which don’t work correctly with windoze anyway.

I've had these headphones since I worked at Looksmart, where they were a necessity, working in a large room with thirty-odd people typing and clicking and typing and clicking… Agh! I'm getting flashbacks. These headphones tagged along with me to every geek job I've had since, creating a perfect atmosphere when the environment was less than conducive for concentrating. I can't imagine working in a place that wouldn’t let me have my headphones! Only now I am getting the vague sensation that I should be working on something.

So what am I listening to with my new found phones? I would be embarrassed to tell, it’s a psychotic mishmash of stuff I have taken off of Limewire/KaZaA (which is code for "silly crap I would never buy but somehow still enjoy listening to"). I have my own personal AM (circa 1976) radio station going on. Sometimes I miss being a DJ (a radio DJ, not the new-fangled flavour of DJ that all the young folks seem to be these days). I used to know all about good stuff when it came out, I loved playing what I liked and turning people on to new music. Now look at me, listening to badly compressed Destiny's Child and Air Mp3s. I don’t even own that many CDs anymore. The last of my vinyl went on eBay before we moved. I haven’t really found any good radio in the UK. It's not like they even have college radio here, I don't think. I'm not really sure on that, just that I've yet to encounter anything I like yet.

The idea of moving has made things a bit more pleasant, given me a bit more energy. It gives me the hope that London won't be as unbearable from a different post code. I haven’t really written a lot about living here, because I haven’t really been enjoying it. When a Londoner asks me how I like it here, I always try to smile and not offend. When they ask where I'm from, they can't believe I'd rather be in cold, dark, rainy London than in warm, sunny, California. Sometimes I can't believe it either. Of course being from San Francisco, I know it's mostly cold and foggy there. Which I happen to like! The rain here really dampens the mood though, not to mention the dog. Yum, wet dog smell!

I spent half the day today reading strangers' blogs. I've come to the conclusion that I don’t post enough, write enough, I don’t take enough photos, don’t have enough links, don’t read enough, don’t see that many films and don't listen to enough music. I think I will stop reading strangers blogs for a while.

Posted by shannon at 11:23 PM | | Comments (0)

November 22, 2002

Mirror Project

I sent a shot from my last batch of photos to the mirror project. You can find a larger size of it here, where it is easier to see the many reflections happening in the image.

Posted by shannon at 05:47 PM | | Comments (0)

November 14, 2002

lonely park

It's late and I should be in bed sleeping, because tomorrow I have to meet with an agent to check out some flats near Hyde Park. I've just been up fiddling with some mediocre snaps I took yesterday. Most of the photos have a kind of starkness to them, an emptiness: rows of empty benches, tables and chairs neglected, covered with blown leaves. I started to write captions, but then I figured they could speak on their own.


click on the photo for more…

Posted by shannon at 01:29 AM | | Comments (2)

November 04, 2002

wet leaves


Dusk on the A1, outside my door

I have nothing to say but I’m going to say something anyway. It’s never stopped anyone else.

I am so tired of looking for work. Anyone in London who knows where I could find some gainful employment, drop me a line. I’m very talented. I can make a great cup of coffee or a nice web site, among other things.

I took the dog to Hampstead Heath today, because it wasn’t raining. I took a few pictures as the sun slipped away. Click for a larger version.


Entrance to Hampstead Heath near Kenwood House


Cohen’s Fields

Posted by shannon at 10:04 PM | | Comments (0)

November 03, 2002

a light in the darkness

Like the new design colors? Eh, I dunno about them myself. I’m just trying to perk myself up with some bright colors, it is so dark and dreary in London right now. I haven’t seen the sun in ages. Also, I am really growing tired of using a stylesheet for layout. I might go back to some good old tables, with the styles just for color/borders etc.

I really like my new very short haircut. My hair had been so long, it was just getting oppressive, weighing me down. I only ever wore it up all the time anyway, which usually created a small headache by the end of the day from the constant tugging by various hair apparatuses. I don’t even have to do anything to it when I go running, which is a relief. I think I’d better actually go out running now, before the sun hides away again. Hope I don’t trip in the mud!

Posted by shannon at 01:28 PM | | Comments (0)