Monday 2 June 2008

Where Am I?

Still beavering away on the paper, so not much in the way of blogging, I'm afraid. But I offer some spatial dislocation to my Washington readers. Here's a photo of Kenilworth Avenue:



See, it is Kenilworth Avenue--in Oxford:



Non-Washingtonian readers must forgive me. Washington's Kenilworth Avenue is a typically post-apocalyptic suburban highway stuffed with fast food joints, auto parts stores and mattress warehouses, the asphalt covered in rusty mufflers and the shattered tail lights of Buick LeSabres.

I snapped this a few months ago in London's Shepherd's Bush neighborhood:


To Washingtonians, Hecht Co. was a beloved department store, one of many that have since gone out of business. What struck me about this sign for a London lawyer's office is that it's the same typeface as D.C.'s Hecht's department store once used.

Sexy Beast
Friday I mentioned the hot water that TV nature show presenter Bill Oddie found himself in with his televised descriptions of insect sex (insex?). Today the Guardian's Charlie Brooker shows why he's my favo(u)rite U.K. columnist. I don't know if I could ever be friends with anyone who didn't laugh out loud while reading Brooker's disquisition on animals, sex and animal sex.

Now, back to my paper....

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEATRICE
is what this post should say.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Beatrice! Are you ready to come back to Maryland soon? I'm sure your Mom will make you a cake from scratch. If not ... your Dad will. Don't party too hard. Or better yet -- maybe your Mom can make you a dress! As I recall she sews really well.

rpkelly said...

I *did* make her a cake from scratch, but I bought her a dress - is that OK? We're getting kinda busy, planning our return.

Sarah Laurence said...

Happy Birthday, Bea!

Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEATRICE!!!

Parents can be cruel, eh? No blog-message? A boughten dress? Soon they'll be sending you out to sell matchsticks in the snow...

Until then, enjoy the day!

Anonymous said...

For shame!

Happy Birthday Beatrice.

R

Candadai Tirumalai said...

Names. In England the BBC can only mean the Beeb. But I have seen commercial vans in the United States marked "BBC," and meaning a variety of enterprises.
Woolworth's could once be found in both countries (there was one in Oxford more than 20 years ago) but I haven't seen one in years.

Anonymous said...

I once walked into a tea shop in South Wales. They were selling trousers there. I found it quite remarkably disturbing. But still the fog on the lower slopes of the hills reminded me of an incident when I'd been taken ill some weeks before. In England, the elephants are usually kept in zoos, for the most part.

hilly said...

hee ;-)

AEZ said...

Yeah, happy birthday B! Also, mi amigo, I NEED your post about Hook Norton brewery. Really.

John Kelly said...

Happy Birthday, Beatrice. You did get my card, didn't you?