V&A, Arsenal, and a Scottish Breakfast

Howdy folks

I'll just jump right into the pictures here - first things first, I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum a while ago and it was a really incredible museum. To put it in context though, every museum I've been to here in London is insanely huge, gratefully free, and always leaves me saying "Oh hey, I should come back." Whether I'll actually go back to all of them and actually get to everything is highly unlikely, but hey, at least the thought was there. Right? Anywho, the V&A had this cool exhibit called "The Power of Making" which was all about various crafts and particularly people today who make things in an era where it may seem like crafts are a thing of nostalgia. Unfortunately they didn't let you take pictures in there, but the point is it was really cool. Especially the huge gorilla made solely of coat hangers, and an beautiful entirely wooden bicycle - wheels and water bottle holder included.
Being one who likes shiny things, of course I had to take this picture as we strolled through the Jewelry section:

So you might have to be in the infamed 1% to have this, but... w/e.

Even outside of the exhibits, the V&A has little wonders throughout, like the grand Chihuly glass looming above the entrance (I couldn't get a very good picture of it, oops), and this funky squashed brass thing:

And as this museum has an eclectic mix of stuff, they had an architecture exhibit with miniature models, so of course I had to make this picture out of it:

Weeeeeeeeee!

Moving on, a crucial part of British culture is definitely football. And, for ye *Americans* (cough cough lame, I'm so cultured now that I've been abroad and therefore not lame, cough cough... cough) I don't mean American football. So, thanks to Pomona College and their "entertainment expense" fund for us Londoners we got to see an Arsenal vs. Stoke City match on Pomona's dime. (Well, technically Pomona's dime is really tuition dimes, but that's neither here nor there.) It was definitely an experience. Fans sang various boisterous songs, and I think even "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" made the list of Stoke City rally cries.

And of course, the beer was served in only plastic bottles (without caps) and plastic cups, so that you can't get mad and throw glass at people. Apparently this used to be frequent.

The following weekend I took the train up to Edinburgh for a Sparagmos-style Halloween with fellow expat Nick Humphrey.

(Oh hay Nick)


In a word, Scotland is... well... beautiful.
In a few more words, Scotland is beautiful, chilly, and it got dark really early. Also, I did eat haggis, which was no minor mental feat. Still haven't had any black pudding... and I probably won't.
Arthur's Seat is a hike between the center of Edinburgh and the grand sea beyond, and is a must-do if you ever find yourself there.

It's also insanely windy. And super shaggy dogs in the wind is a great form of entertainment.

And as promised by the title, a Scottish breakfast. Mind you, not a full Scottish breakfast (since I don't want to eat congealed blood, kthnx), but I say I still get credit. My favorite part was the potato pastry on the bottom right of the plate - so good. I need more of those in my life, as so far there has only been one. And one is the loneliest number. (I think people need to quote Three Dog Night more often in daily life.) But also, I note the lack of greenery in all Scottish food. How do these people get any vitamins? /not die of coronaries?

PRETTY CASTLE.

And now, Halloween themed pictures.

AHHH IT'S AN EYEBALLLLLLL WITH AN ARTFULLY PLACED KNIFE BEHIND IT AHHHH FEAR FOR YOUR LIVES

We did Halloween right, I'd say. Ate a lot of delicious food. Did fall-y things. We carved pumpkins.Went to a cemetery.

Boooooooo...!

Baked pumpkin seeds. (Which of course deserved taking a picture)

Mmmmmmm.

And of course, dressed up like the cool people we are.

Left to right: Nick as Mahler, me as Mrs. Clause, Nick's flatmate Richard as an amazing rendition of Old Greg, Laura's friend as Little Red Riding Hood (gone cannibal, I guess, since there's blood dripping from her mouth), and Nick's flatmate Laura as a beheaded princess.
One of the best moments of the night was walking to the pub when two girls spotted Richard and said, "Oh look! It's Old Greg!"

Another good moment: my costume was bought at a convenience store for £10, and I ran into someone who really wanted my hat. He offered £5. I said I liked my hat. He offered £10. I accepted. Free costume, w/e.