i don't have much to say lately.  at least nothing i think you give a crap about.  between my efforts to NOT rip London to shreds in my blogs, and my efforts to keep unrelated emotional issues off the site, i have found scarcely a sentence to write anymore.  i think this is called sinking into the English abyss.

gotta run now - there's some more laundry to hang on the drying rack.  yes, it's still the 1800s here in London.

I want to note I've spotted a trend amongst London ladies as Spring 2009 begins:  nude/sheer pantyhose.  This throw-back to the 1980s - and many years prior - has been seen frequently amongst what looks like the 30-something set.  I've also noted a couple of gals wearing old-school, back-seamed stockings, most stylishly the kind with nude-toned back seams.  If these become particularly popular I just want a record here to prove I picked up on it early.

This, of course, does not mean I plan to sport them.  I still prefer knee socks and leggings...

On the left, the poster I bought in December 2007. On the right, one of the poster's many appearances spotted around England in 2009.

Today in British newspaper "The Guardian" there's an article about a poster.  An anonymously-designed poster created in 1939 as English World War II propaganda intended, along with its two preceding posters, to comfort the English as they faced the Germans.  The first two posters were widely used all over the country, but this particular poster (photo above) was never used, as it was reserved for the event of an actual invasion of the island.

ANYway, what bugs me is this:  I randomly spotted a cheap, rolled-up copy of this poster in a corner of a museum shop at the end of 2007 during a trip to London and snapped it up.  It was very cool.  It was so cheap.  It summed up the British way of life perfectly.  And best of all, I knew it was cool, yet it wasn't "trendy" and it wasn't hanging in every "hip" boutique around.  Yet.

Now, over a year later this poster's popping up everywhere, apparently thanks to the frigging economic recession.  Click here to read the article about it from today's Guardian:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/mar/18/keep-calm-carry-on-poster. 

I feel like this happens to me all the time:  I spot something that feels especially awesome or interesting or attractive to me for some unidentified reason - and buy it if i can afford it.  Then somewhere down the road it becomes frustratingly, ridiculously popular.  And I'm left thinking:  "But I bought mine over a YEAR ago!" or "Oh crap, now that this thing's for sale in the mall I'll have to retire mine to the closet," or "What happened to the days when vintage fairs were free to get into and had elbow room to browse around?" or "I can't believe they've tripled the price of this thing since it got featured in Latest Crap magazine."

So I wonder:  If I'm so good at spotting trends before they're trends, why haven't I been able to make a CAREER out of it?  Not that I've ever attempted to...

Why haven't I managed to capitalize on my intuition if I know what kind of necklaces are going to be rockin' BEFORE the Spring/Summer '09 fashion week reports are published?  If I spot an unsuccessfully marketed toy doll from 1972 and venture to find one for myself, why does that doll later become a global cult phenomenon with thousands of fans, thus pushing the actual doll totally out of my financial grasp?  When I love a band from their earliest days of playing in bars, then three CDs later they hit the radio or win a Grammy, why am I annoyed instead of happy?  And when I buy an unknown, non-trademarked phrase poster a full year before it's displayed elsewhere, I want to scream:  "GIVE ME CREDIT FOR SPOTTING THAT FIRST!"

Why do I care about getting credit for loving or finding something first?  Do I even have a special "talent" for doing so, or do I just have a long list of past coincidences?  Are all these little things just frustrating examples of how I might have been great at something if I'd focused on being a professional trend-spotter right from the start?  I mean, it's only fair of me to point out that someone working for that museum had to make the decision to PRINT the first run of the poster for the shop - I wasn't literally the first to think it was cool.

And even if I did get credit for something like this, would I want money for my talent, or would I just need the egotistical knowledge that I knew what was cool BEFORE it was "cool"?

Before I go I'd like to note one more annoying thing:  I identified the PURPLE trend in menswear long before anyone in the media mentioned it.  I was talking about the ubiquity of the purple neck tie on politicians and news reporters to my husband many months before purple was declared "the color of the recession." 

OK.  I'm glad I got that off my chest. 

So... am I just another whiny, 35-year-old with a degree in Advertising, years of living in Los Angeles and a love of slightly unusual things with a smidge of intuition and - admittedly - a habit of snobbishness which won't allow me to participate in anything once it's reached the mainstream? 

And what about things that hit the mainstream, but which I continue to love despite that fact (giant 1970s sunglasses and brightly printed maxi-sundresses, anyone?)?

Does all this mean I have to take the "KEEP CALM" poster off the wall of the entry to my home? 

Do I really want my flat looking like a display straight out of a London Urban Outfitters?  Ugh.

P.S.
I have nothing against young, hip celebs, but somehow it's disappointing to see a Harry Potter movie star sporting the slogan on a t-shirt.

Yesterday I read an article in London's morning Metro newspaper (http://tinyurl.com/c49c67) that deeply disturbed me.  The story was about how someone on Facebook had created a "Gift" application on Facebook where users of Facebook gave "gifts" of mental illnesses to their "friends," complete with offensive, ridiculous photos of sufferers and fake, kitschy "advice" about the mental problems, which included Shizophrenia, Dementia and Agoraphobia.

I was shocked and angry. 

And I was sad.

Obviously I don't know how many people out there are still poorly informed about the severity of mental illness (and how painful it is not only to the sufferers, but to the family and friends of the sufferers), but I'm guessing by the existence of the application that it's a lot. 

Just look at the [mostly American] media for a hint - American entertainment writers, editors and producers just LOVE to carelessly label anyone in the news (particularly celebrities) with some type of mental illness.  Let's take two totally random examples:  When Britney Spears partied a little TOO hard, shaved her head and poked a photographer with an umbrella, she wasn't called a spoiled, drunk celebrity, she was labeled Bipolar - not by a doctor, but by the MEDIA.  When Nicole Ritchie looked more thin than the usual - and quite common - size zero girl in Hollywood, the MEDIA (not a doctor) proclaimed her Anorexic. 

What can ya do?  The blood-sucking media knows a mental illness combined with a celebrity name sells papers, magazines, TV specials and often increases the box office gross of feature films.  I know this.  I lived with a People magazine entertainment writer for years, and knew quite a few more who wrote for other publications.  They LIVE for dirty garbage like that.  I personally worked in film publicity, where even a story about an actor's mental problems was often considered GOOD, because hey - as they still say - "any publicity is good publicity."

Of course there are many famous people who have openly and honestly discussed their mental health issues.  Drew Barrymore admits having made a suicide attempt at age 14.  Halle Berry did the same after her first marriage.  Ben Stiller and Sting are both open about being Bipolar.  Owen Wilson tried to kill himself for unidentified reasons.  Alanis Morissette suffered from Depression.  Princess Diana famously had Bulimia and Borderline Personality Disorder.  Francis Ford Coppola has Bipolar Disorder.  Marilyn Monroe was institutionalized for Depression and "Manic Depression" before she eventually killed herself.  Audrey Hepburn battled Depression.  So did musician Dave Matthews and politicians Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln.  (Now who says people with mental illnesses aren't intelligent, productive members of society?)

But I digress...

Upon further inspection of the Facebook application, I was further dismayed to find that a female named Kathryn Scruggs from AMERICA had created the Facebook "Gift" application.  Building on the dismay was the fact that Facebook itself would make no comment on the application.  Facebook didn't have the balls to address it, and would not make any public move to discourage Ms. Scruggs from maintaining the application.  The media coverage of the story simply said:  "Facebook was unavailable for comment, however its website states it does not monitor applications created by individual members."

Before you comment, let me say YES, I understand freedom of speech.  And YES, I understand that especially in America people have the freedom to post whatever they want on the internet.  But when a corporate giant like Facebook (yes, even though it's free, Facebook is indeed a global, corporate money-maker) allows harmful, discriminatory material to remain on their site after media coverage and public protest, I think it has a duty to do something - even if that "something" is just a stinkin' one-sentence COMMENT.

I have been deeply affected by mental illness in my lifetime.  I have watched close friends behave like uneducated, insensitive and intolerant a-holes in the face of knowing someone with a mental disorder.  I have been bullied, laughed at, lost jobs and been coldly dumped in hours of great need due to a lack of understanding and support.  Just a few months ago I had an exchange where an old friend threw the word "Bipolar" around as if it were any old adjective.  I had always considered her an intelligent and open individual.  I don't feel that way about her anymore.

When starting to write this entry I meant to make it simple and short, to slam Facebook and expose the girl who created the sick application on that site, but obviously I've written too much, so I'll end a bit abruptly with a thank you to the people who shamed Ms. Scruggs into removing the application from the internet yesterday.  If you try to find it today, it will be gone - with no thanks to Facebook, but with great thanks to people like Nita K., who when others are complacent, steps up and says something.

I hope if any of you ever want to stand up and say something, you will too, when given the opportunity.  Even if it's just mentioning to a friend that it's NOT cool to say your boss is Schizophrenic or your ex-girlfriend is Bipolar.

Don't be the problem.  Be the solution.

I'm sliding my proverbial soapbox under the proverbial bed for a while now.  PLEASE DO COMMENT HERE IF YOU WANT.

P.S.
If you live in England, visit www.time-to-change.org.uk to learn some facts on this topic.  If you live in America, visit www.nami.org to educate yourself.  As they say, knowledge is power.

no blog in me atm - look at my Pic of the Week instead...

The first music act poster I ever bought (age 9).

I'm having a temporary affair with Michael Jackson's music of the 1980s (think approximately 1983 to around 1988 give or take).  I refer to the Michael Jackson before he became a "freak" - before he got sick or strange or whatever it was that led him to become the odd recluse he is today.  The Michael Jackson who turned crappy music videos into ground-breaking short films with real directors.  The Michael Jackson who appealed across racial lines and who was as loved by kids as he was by many parents.  The guy whose career spanned several decades of excellent and totally original music before his image went south...

ANYway, I just thought I'd mention him because after about 15 years of following indie rock (and it's predecessor grunge) it's nice to look a bit further back and remember that some "pop" music used to be genuinely GOOD.  It used to be COOL.  Michael Jackson was gifted and he was a one-and-only talent, and while he was bizarre beyond understanding later in life, he was by leaps and bounds a more talented artist and performer to see (or hang on your wall) than Britney f-ing Spears or Miley i-totally-love-myself Cyrus.

Do yourself a favor and pull out (or download) some old Michael.  You may find you've missed him as much as I did.  Maybe it depends a bit on your age, but I think it's true for a lot of people.  When I woke up this morning I listened to "Man in the Mirror" like four times, then rocked out to "P.Y.T." 

If you don't remember how huge "Man in the Mirror" was (overlooking the more obvious ones like Thriller and Bad), here's a link to the video, which has probably the best collection of American archive footage ever used in a music video (admittedly because he could afford to license it):  http://tinyurl.com/bj8sm4 

If I can stop being cynical for one day, you can too.

And I want to hear from you:  What's your favorite Michael Jackson song?  You may want to look him up on iTunes (www.itunes.com) for a little refresher on his vast library - I'd be surprised if you didn't have at least one MJ song to which you know (and would sing) every word...  Comments, please.

I went to France for the first time last weekend.  During an evening break in my Paris hotel room we turned on the TV.  The above photo is of the television, showing what happened to be on at the time.  Depressingly, the French voice of Homer is -- how do you say? -- pas si bon.

Ahh...  the joy of experiencing other cultures.

(an actual London tube station)

i haven't written a blog in a while.  this is (i think) because i truly feared that my sarcastic and frequently negative entries about life in jolly ol' England might be creating a very real barrier to me ever feeling "at home" here.  so, in lieu of a long rant or analysis of any one item, i'd just like to rattle off some things i've noted over the last month or so...

"ham salad" - this confused me when i saw it.  i thought it must be a horrible concoction similar in make-up to egg-salad:  diced ham mixed in mayonnaise?  alas, it was something much more simple:  ham salad means sliced ham with lettuce and tomato on bread.  that's it.  having basic sandwich toppings classifies as "salad," hence, you have a "ham salad sandwich."

"egg mayonnaise" - this is the same thing as what Americans called egg salad.  the exact opposite of the ham salad formulation.  i know egg mayonnaise is a fair name for what it is, but i prefer calling it egg salad because as soon as you put the word "mayonnaise" in the name of something, that something is rendered pretty much disgusting.

the word "salad" is widely used to refer to the presence of lettuce and tomato on top of something (as in the ham salad above).

when a "side salad" is served with dinner or lunch it almost never comes with dressing of any kind.  you eat it dry, or with...  (wait for it)  "salad mayonnaise."  eek.

baked beans are served as an integral part of a breakfast plate.  you know, fried or scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. - plus a big dollop of baked beans.  back in America baked beans were made to accompany hot dogs and brown sugar and that's about it.

milk goes in your tea.  just as Americans put milk in their coffee, almost all Brits splash milk into their tea.  i never even thought of doing it - except when making chai tea, which is a whole different thing.

in England they sell the well-known skin care brand Oil of Olay, except they pronounce it "Oil of YOU-lay."  this is apparently because for years the items were sold as "Oil of Ulay," not "Olay."  a typo carried way too far?  perhaps.

Brits do not discuss money quite the same way Americans do - even cool, young, upwardly mobile types.  when i first moved here i met a nice guy who works in show business (for lack of a better word).  i mentioned to him in passing that he should go work in Los Angeles for a little while because he'd make tons of money there doing what he does.  after i said this he looked at me like i had just called his mother a whore.  apparently telling someone they could really prosper in a given city falls outside the British guidelines of acceptable party conversation.

a lot of stairwells inside the crowded tube stations in London have small signs that tell you to KEEP LEFT when going up or down the stairs - presumably to keep the flow of crowds at maximum efficiency.  this is fine.  except a lot of people around London aren't FROM London.  Americans are used to standing to the RIGHT and walking or driving to the RIGHT side.  a lot of Europeans also go to the right.  In London there's such a mix of culture that inevitably only half the people around actually DO keep left.  if you also factor in the people who are just idiots that can't read signs or don't care about getting where they're going in a reasonable amount of time, and the experience makes you want to kill someone.  it's like stepping into the face of a giant wave - a wave with smelly, sick and stupid people in it.

and another thing about the tube:  when i'm on there my sense of smell is heightened.  last week a guy in the same carriage as me was eating a sandwich and i could smell the wilted lettuce on it from about eight seats away.  today the carriage was so crowded that i swear i could tell that a man next to me had just drank milk by the smell of his breath.  eeew.

and one more thing regarding the tube:  about two weeks ago i was riding the District Line during my daily work commute and this message came over the loud speaker:  "Ladies and gentlemen, because of a person under a train, service is currently suspended on the Jubilee Line."  this is the train driver's way of telling us kind folk that someone has killed themselves by jumping onto the train track somewhere ahead of us.  this has happened three times since Christmas, if i recall correctly.  something i find interesting is how pleasantly and matter-of-fact-ly it's announced to the passengers.  it's typical British understatement:  "indeed, someone's dead on the tracks, but we'll be carrying on in just a moment, thank you."

recently my British husband was reading an American book written by Dale Carnegie.  the book made a reference to the legendary outlaw Jesse James.  my Oxford-educated husband said:  "Who's Jesse James?  the black guy?"   no, i said.  that's Jesse JACKSON.

double eek.

well, thanks for reading -- or as a Brit might say, "Cheers!"

and by the way... i think Americans assume that saying "Cheers" sorta means "see ya!" in casual Brit-speak (in addition to being the usual toast over a round of drinks).  however, when i moved to London i learned that "Cheers" is actually said in place of "Thanks" -- like when receiving your plate of food from a waiter -- so all you Americans take note before you make yourselves look silly using that word in the wrong spot. 

heaven forbid  ;-)

Today London got the most snow it's had in 18 years - and it's still falling.  This is particularly great because there are some years where it doesn't snow at all in the city.  I took this photo today while walking through Furnival Gardens along the Thames River.  In a world of digital photography it was pretty cool to see someone commemorating the day the old fashioned way.

Enjoy -- and to everyone in England, a happy snow day!

When you pass a bakery window like this one, it's pretty hard to pass it by (as evidenced by the way it stopped me in my tracks this past Saturday near Covent Garden).  These aren't mere cupcakes -- they're enormous, gorgeous "candy cakes."

According to the store's website, "Candy Cakes" was established in 2004.  They make odd flavoured cakes with names like Spider Lovin’, Techno Mouse, Alphabet City and The Chocolate Flyer – and I’m not quite sure what some of those actually TASTE like, but you can always ask the gal behind the counter if you’re feeling scared.  They claim that every “cake” is made of natural ingredients with no artificial coloring, preservatives or additives, which is pretty cool, considering how crazy and toy-like they look.

The above pic is the best I could get while standing outside the shop.  The below pic is from their website, which shows how pretty some of them are.  My personal fave is the bright blue one with a piece of fried egg gummy candy on top (see far right of pic above).

A little something for the inner child in all of us.