average temperature during weekend trip to London:
-67 degrees Fahrenheit
exchange rate of pound to dollars:
-1:1.92
best way to avoid buying a beautiful dress that fits perfectly:
-look at the price tag, do the math
beloved eating establishments:
-Wagamama
-The Gate
-7th floor of Tate Modern, Thames-side window
-Euston Station croissant kiosk
-Pret A Manger
-Kulu Kulu
junk food:
-Cadbury Creme Egg minis
-Boost bar
-Snow Flake bar
-Malteasers
-chocolate Hobnobs
-cheesy Quavers
highest expenditure excluding food:
-Boots blister plasters
gift purchased:
-Paddington Bear from Paddington Station for Sophie
arrival ritual:
-the British Museum
best alternative to Caravaggio if it has sold out at the National Gallery:
-the National Gallery proper
carefully-organized chaos by an artist last seen in the Turner Prize exhibition 5 years ago:
-Tomoko Takahashi at the Serpentine
bask in the sunshine and bursts of spring flowers:
-Magnum bar in Hyde Park
stave off jet lag:
-A Raisin in the Sun at the Lyric Hammersmith
glorious din:
-Bruce Nauman's "Raw Materials" at Tate Modern first thing in the morning
Matthew Barney eat your fucking heart out:
-Joseph Beuys at Tate Modern
neuroses beautifully worked out on canvas:
-August Strindberg at Tate Modern
brillant stream-of-consciousness curation:
-Tacita Dean's "An Aside" at the Camden Arts Centre
new favorite pastime:
-chai latte and a magazine in the back garden of the Camden Arts Centre
best discovery:
-Camden Arts Centre
walk off that caffeine:
-up Arkwright Road to Hampstead
how the woman at the ticket counter will react when you tell her you need to go to Coventry and come back four hours later:
-"This is a very unusual journey."
animals seen out the window of the train:
-horses
-cows
-sheep
-bunnies
unexpectedly perfect place to watch the sun set on a gorgeous spring evening:
-Northampton train platform
years since I last set foot on the University of Warwick campus:
-9
the woman who got me to go back:
-Ani DiFranco
how to be an annoying American:
-don't wait until the song is over to cheer and applaud
how to get a cab in London at 1 in the morning:
-stand on curb, wait a minute or two
make a difference:
-march against the war from Speaker's Corner to Trafalgar Square with 100,000 other people
mellow out:
-drinks and conversation at the Intrepid Fox
wallow in don't-wanna-go-home melancholy:
-Francois Ozon's 5x2 and then a long night ramble
personalized film marathon on the flight home:
-Closer
-Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
-The Motorcycle Diaries
-Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
-Vanity Fair