RandyDandy, an American Expat in London

You’re staying on the 7th floor of an island condominium overlooking the beach. A hurricane is coming ashore. What do you do? Go onto the balcony?

“A 17-year-old boy was seriously injured on South Padre Island after he was blown from a seventh-floor balcony of the Lighthouse Condominiums . . .”

The government spokesman says this kid should buy a lottery ticket, as he survived. And I say he should spend his winnings on a brain transplant.

Tags:   Dolly · hurricane · NY Times · South Padre Island · stupid teenager · TexasNo Comments.

Jay and I started going to yoga classes at our gym a couple of weeks ago. A basic class once a week on Wednesday evening, with another on Saturday afternoons, which so far hasn’t coordinated with our social schedule. The idea of yoga in a gym setting brought to my mind some sort of aerobicized bastardization of yoga practice, but they actually have real yoga teachers who breathe and chant and do their best to help us block out the thumping techno music and grunting sounds coming from other parts of the gym.

On Monday evening I summoned up the courage to check out an Astanga Yoga class, which is taught more frequently during the week. The teacher is considerably more charismatic than the basic teacher, and the discipline is more intense as well. I hung on and made it through as best I could and felt like a million bucks yesterday. Woke up refreshed at 7am instead of my usual groggy and gradual awakening between 8 and 9, sometimes 9:30. Posture good, spring in my step, and the like.

Different story this morning. I felt the stiffness and aches coming on last night while Jay and I were out with Wardi and Ron for pints and curry. And this morning my usual, “How can it be 9 already,” feeling like I hardly slept 4 hours.

I think it will take some time. Good thing tonight is basic. Back for some more Astanga tomorrow afternoon.

Om shanti.

Tags:   astanga · exercise · gym · yoga · yogatoneNo Comments.

Cue the creepy music.

Tags:   ghosts · London · supernatural · tube · Tubesday · UK · underground · video · youtubeNo Comments.

I’ve been a big fan of French & Saunders for a few years but have only now started going through the whole series via LoveFilm, the British Netflix. This sketch is one of my faves:

Tags:   comedy · French & Saunders · opera · Tubesday · video · youtubeNo Comments.

Full of grass pollen:
Why fret when something makes me
sound like Barry White?

Tags:   allergies · Barry White · Haiku · poems · poetry · pollenNo Comments.

JPG Magazine has chosen the image below for upcoming Issue 17, due sometime soon. Issue 16 says “April/May,” which would make Issue 17 “June/July.” But that can’t be right.

So now I suppose I’ll participate more within that community until the usual ADD sets in. I submitted photographs for other upcoming themes earlier this week, shown in the sidebar on the right.

On the menu this weekend: Urban Street Hunt with shootexperience.com, in conjunction with the London Festival of Architecture. I’ll be exploring and photographing buildings in Southbank and Southwark with a team of five friends for a few hours Saturday afternoon.

Tags:   JPG Magazine · photography · Phriday · shootexperience.com · Urban Street HuntNo Comments.

Post office lines can get looooooong here. Standing in line yesterday, I overheard an elderly couple behind me discussing a display rack of language DVD courses next to us. Swahili, Polish, French, German. Many other languages. But no English, as far as anyone could see from our vantage point.

The conversation went something like this:

He: Look at that - Swahili.

She: Polish. Spanish. Russian. What’s all this doing in the post office?

He: I suppose it’s meant to be a money-making enterprise, innit?

She: Well, they should have English up there. Isn’t it typical? They really should forget those other languages and learn ours.

And so forth.

As we rounded the final bend, we came on the other side of the display. And there were a few English DVDs.

Not a word.

In my mind, I grabbed one and handed it to them just before I was called to the next available window.

Isn’t it typical?

Tags:   british · conversation · eavesdropping · foreign languages · post officeNo Comments.

Walking down George Street:
Rubbish bin lit up with fire
No one seems to mind

Tags:   Haiku · poems · poetryNo Comments.

Pubs and stuff.

God bless the British:
I am helpless to resist
one more pint of ale.

One more pint of ale:
Can’t think of a better way
to loosen the tongue.

I composed the second haiku whilst on my third pint of a lovely summer ale called “Burning Gold” from Wells, the Bombardier folks. The last line of the first poem became the first line of the second. But you noticed that already.

And this begat another ale-induced idea. Why not start a haiku relay? Someone composes a poem, or we start with a famous haiku, and folks build on from there, using the last line of the previous submission. Anyone up for it? Leave a comment below if you’re game. Might even become a blog of its own. I know there are a few haiku fans out there, as I’ve received unusual amounts of blog attention this week (ie, more than one random comment).

And finally, the best thing to do while you’re on your own at the pub and the alcohol is hampering your efforts to focus and read: eavesdrop. This haiku came about courtesy of the couple sitting next to me. Young and beautiful.

Shut up and kiss me:
Arguments only cause stress
and stress kills sex drive.

There you go, poetry and sex all at once.

Tags:   ale · Bombardier · British ale · England · Haiku · London · Murrow · poems · poetry · pub culture · pubs · Randall · Randy · randydandy · sex · UK · WellsNo Comments.

Haiku and coffee go so well together.

Americano
for three years my drink of choice
joy in liquid form

It’s already noon
Still haven’t had my coffee
Green tea? Not the same

Tags:   Haiku · poems · poetry · writingNo Comments.