London is a pretty romantic place around Christmas time. It makes me sick, may it rot and burn in hell.
I'm not sure if anywhere compares with Chicago this time of year... with the window decorations in Marshal Field's in the Loop or the abundance of decorations on Michigan Avenue. London comes close though.
Regent Street, lined with Georgian buildings to begin with, now has blue lights and giant snowflakes strung between them. The big "Ice Age" placards are a bit gaudy though, so negative points for that. Oxford Street looks pretty nice though... the architecture is a bit less impressive, but the lights are more pleasing. There is a massive Christmas tree in Tralfalgar square and at times there are carolers singing in front of it (I can only imagine how much my mom would like to see that!).
What really gives London a boost are the ice rinks. There is one in the courtyard of Somerset House, a huge Georgian mansion. Another is near the neo-Gothic Museum of Natural History. Finally, there is one in the Naval College in Greenwhich. Fucking ice skating.
Three rather important people died recently:
Gene McCarthy was a traditional Catholic voice of liberalism in America; something we could very much use now. I can't see kids (those self-indulgent little bastards) taking out their lip piercings and "coming clean for Gene" in today's day in age though.
My parents wouldn't let me watch Richard Pryor when I was young, but he was pretty funny.
Finally who would have guess that a German-Jewish woman would be one of the most significant Orthodox theologians of the 20th century. But Elisabeth Behr-Sigel certainly was. I don't know if it's not a bit depressing though, that all the brilliant minds... Berdiaev, Bulgakov, Soloviev, and her, among others failed to have a much greater impact on the Western society in which they lived at large. If people of their intellect can't do much... can anyone stem the tide at all?
14.12.6 :( Zetti 0rz
I'm not sure if anywhere compares with Chicago this time of year... with the window decorations in Marshal Field's in the Loop or the abundance of decorations on Michigan Avenue. London comes close though.
Regent Street, lined with Georgian buildings to begin with, now has blue lights and giant snowflakes strung between them. The big "Ice Age" placards are a bit gaudy though, so negative points for that. Oxford Street looks pretty nice though... the architecture is a bit less impressive, but the lights are more pleasing. There is a massive Christmas tree in Tralfalgar square and at times there are carolers singing in front of it (I can only imagine how much my mom would like to see that!).
What really gives London a boost are the ice rinks. There is one in the courtyard of Somerset House, a huge Georgian mansion. Another is near the neo-Gothic Museum of Natural History. Finally, there is one in the Naval College in Greenwhich. Fucking ice skating.
Three rather important people died recently:
Gene McCarthy was a traditional Catholic voice of liberalism in America; something we could very much use now. I can't see kids (those self-indulgent little bastards) taking out their lip piercings and "coming clean for Gene" in today's day in age though.
My parents wouldn't let me watch Richard Pryor when I was young, but he was pretty funny.
Finally who would have guess that a German-Jewish woman would be one of the most significant Orthodox theologians of the 20th century. But Elisabeth Behr-Sigel certainly was. I don't know if it's not a bit depressing though, that all the brilliant minds... Berdiaev, Bulgakov, Soloviev, and her, among others failed to have a much greater impact on the Western society in which they lived at large. If people of their intellect can't do much... can anyone stem the tide at all?
14.12.6 :( Zetti 0rz
posted by akrites @ 6:06 AM
1 Comments:
At 12:49 AM,
akrites said…
It's a quotation from a Johnny Cash song, "San Quentin, may it rot and burn in hell..." And so the allusion points to the fact that even though I am in this city full of excitement and wonder, it can be like prison when one lacks time to indulge them and companions with whom to do so.
The ice skating is kind of an inside joke... I explain it in the other blog.
Post a Comment
<< Home