the thames and tate modern

As we walked along the Thames, we ducked into the Tate Modern for some Sunflower fun in the Turbine room. Modern art is frequently lost on me, but the scale was truly insane. Millions and millions of fake sunflower seeds hand painted by artist Ai Weiwei. Sadly, too many people were stealing too many of the sunflowers, so they had to put a gate around it. Originally, it was designed to be a bit more interactive. Sad.


We went looking for the Rothkos, but ran out of time. In a perfect world, I probably could have spent about 5 hours in the gift shop alone. I was tempted to buy this amazing book on postcards from the Russian revolution, but opted instead for some Susan Sontag, Regarding the Pain of Others.  


After a good look at St. Paul's Cathedral, it was off for a night (my last in London) of great food and music. More on that later. Happy Sunday!

those are "sunflower seeds"

new age fun with a vintage feel

I feel like I've watched this about 500 times since Iona showed it to me. It's startlingly accurate of most of the neighborhood I was in while in London. It's funny how this annoying social tendency in people is the same, but not quite in NYC vs London. Cool people creep me out. 


So in the event that you haven't already seen this video, here's a good laugh for your Saturday! Song is actually catchy too. 

Borough Market- London

Yesterday, we slept in after staying out late for Sophie's concert. We made steak and eggs for brunch, but decided to save coffee for "the best coffee in London" (according to Adam & Sophie). And so, we embarked to Borough Market and Monmouth. 


The place did not disappoint. Maybe it was just my exceptional company, but the market was the first place that made me think I could really love London in some way near to the way I love Edinburgh or New York.


There were some super serious French pastries, empanadas it was an effort to refrain from (Adam didn't have the willpower) and these massive blocks of smelly cheese they were grilling for a not-playing-around grilled cheese sandwich that was beyond rich. (For those of you who know my love of a grilled cheese sammich, [with dill pickles!] you know I'll be back to Borough Market soon for one of those. 


We went on a search for one oyster, Sophie & Adam split a wheatgrass shot (3 days of vegetables in one shot!) and I ogled an olive bar, but was too full from cafe au lait at Monmouth (it was that good) and about 20 baguettes slathered in clear Scottish honey, Apricot Jam, and Subtle Marmelade (the name of Sophie's next hit album.)


After all that, plus a walk on the Thames, what more could a girl ask for from her last day in London. But, of course, I'm a lucky girl, so there is more! I'll save that for later though... Happy Friday!

today feels like this-- I don't know where to go, but you gotta be there

Today feels like this. Well, really it feels like Duncan's 2001 album Phantom Moon. But "This is How My Heart Heard" is NO WHERE to be found on youtube. Rude. But this one is pretty good too. I like the album version best, but-- again, foiled by youtube, you can't embed it.

Sigh. So this is going out to my homie, Iona. I'm off to do some more deep thinking, laughing, coffee drinking on my last day in London. Hope you're having a great day!

remember, london is where we lived before we took off for neverland

The worst book of poetry ever. 

I'm still in London on a sort of emotional health retreat- haha. I've mostly been tucked away on Broadway Market in the middle of Hackney/London Fields. It's like a hidden gem of a street and best of all, Sophie and Adam live here. 


We've gotten way too much caffeine at La Bouche and Gossip (home of the worst book of poetry ever-- see above. Just look at the smile-fist 1980's author photo on the back. The book was dedicated to everyone who'd ever been unemployed-- ha!) ran into friends at other coffee shops, tried fun cocktails at Off-Broadway (felt at home there) and just had a lot of good laughing/borderline crying talks. And music! (Sophie has a show tonight!) 


And we've been developing an American alter-ego for Sophie we're calling Charlie Wynter. We think she's almost ready to be passed off as real to the public. I'll let you know how it goes. 


The first night I was here, we were shopping for dinner and I was recounting some story involving several of this amazing set of friends I've fallen into and Adam Kay said, "Wow, I hope you know you got super lucky. I was in the UK for years before I found friends like these." To which I replied, "Oh trust me. I am aware of just how lucky I am." 


I am actually surrounded, all across the world, by friends who know just what to say when I'm feeling blue. Not the least of whom is Sophie. And certainly the best of whom is Emily, who always has something amazing like this to say: "I hope you and Sophie are in a smokey pub somewhere drinking beer. Remember, London is where Wendy, Michael and John lived before they took off to Neverland. London always reminds me of Peter Pan."

tips are dead sexy. 

show me what you got, north wales

Everyone told me all I would get was rain (slanty, sideways, etc) and sheep, but I found North Wales quite charming. No rain. There were sheep, but... ya know... not that many. Torcuil and his pilot friend Mike picked me up in Flint and from there, we drove to Conwy to visit Conwy Castle. We read up on the whole series of castles in Wales built by one of the great baddies in Scottish history, Edward I (aka Edward Longshanks, the Hammer of the Scots-- for those of you whose Scottish history is limited to Braveheart.) (Also see Caernarfon Castle-- we almost went there instead.) 

We looked for dungeons, laughed about the educational spin put on medieval barbarism for students, (murder holes! you could use these to dump tar on attackers! [yay!])  tried some local Conwy ales (they were decent) and I definitely learned the names of some birds  I would never have been able to identify otherwise. 

Took a stroll around Ruthin, where Torc lives (ps- my favorite part of this wikipedia entry is the assessment of Ruthin's crime rate- hilarious) got some dinner, and then the next morning, I saw a bit of super adorable Chester when Torc dropped me off here to catch my train to London. 

North Wales-- good times. Get into it. 

in transit monday

I have no idea where I'll be when this posts. But chances are, I'll be in transit. Right now I'm in a lovely first class seat on a Virgin Railways train to North Wales. Later today, I'm hoping for a local tour and hopefully some birdwatching from designated expert, Torcuil. I'll let you know what I learn about Wales and birds. 


Even though I have four connections on this journey,  I just have to say that travelling first class by train is about the most lovely way to travel I can think of. I don't know what I did to get bumped up, but I hope it happens more often. Sigh.


It's nice and foggy from my big windows and I'm sipping free tea. This is living. Earlier I was working on Nic & Alix and now I've moved on to a new short story for my collection. I have to keep reminding myself to keep focused on short stories and not skip ahead to working on my novel too much. Not that Don Paterson is a novelist, but he's one of the people who graded my semester project where I pitched (at least the research portion of) my novel and he really liked it. He said really nice things. And being Teacher's Pet and all, it really makes me want to work on it. :)


Anyhow. After Wales, I'm going to meander down to London for Sophie's concert at Half Moon. Good times! Hope you're having a great Monday!

and the best country song of the year is...

Adele. "Don't You Remember." No joke. This is a Nashville song all the way, but I feel like maybe it's so on another level precisely because it is not a Nashville singer. Don't get me wrong-- I'm the proud daughter of a steel guitar player. But this is everything you love about a country song, minus the nasal (and sadly, the steel guitar. THOUGH! You can't tell from these clips with pared down orchestrations, but on the album-- which I've been listening to non-stop-- the arrangements are pretty lushly country.)


She wrote this song with Dan Wilson, who wrote "Not Ready to Make Nice" with the Dixie Chicks. Also, lead singer of Semisonic. ('member them? Responsible for such hits as "Closing Time" and "Chemistry"?) I'd say, girl, keep working with EVERYONE you're working with because it is working. Across the board, the album is like all the best musical genres had an orgy resulting in a baby that no one is sure who the dad is.


It's practically impossible to choose a favorite off here. But this one, I have soft spot for. I suppose I'll always love country. And, of course, a well-placed, heart-wrenching key change. Basically, Adele (especially this album) is everything I like about music. Get it. Americans, sorry you'll have to wait until Feb 22.)

Better quality. 
Also.

invincible summer

Is Albert Camus the most quotable writer ever? I'd contend YES. (Let's agree not to deal with Shakespeare-- that's just...extra.)From some of my favorites like "Charm is a way of getting the answer 'Yes' without asking a clear question" and "live life to the point of tears," his hits just keep on coming. I have a bit of a crush on him. I'm not alone. Elizabeth Hawes wrote a whole book about the severity of her lit crush. Camus: A Romance. You know I read it. I feel her. 


I'm longing for spring these days, but joyous that I'm taking myself off the leash I've used to chain myself to my desk these past three weeks.  (We did it!! VOTE! and it's 10 song concept album is DONE! Now, onto finishing Nic & Alix.) I feel I've earned some reckless freedom so I'm hitting the open road. I'm heading South. And where I end up (within the reasonable bounds of about 2-3 days) is anybody's guess. In the meantime, another Camus gem for your winter Saturday, wherever you are. 

How great word is 'invincible'!? Can we just talk about that?

Beholden?

So yesterday, my trusty best friend Emily forwards me the email (that I'm sure I also have in an email account somewhere that I no longer check-- I have a few of those) with the subject line: WHAT IF ANTHROPOLOGIE DID WEDDINGS?


....Oh. So they're going to do this to me? 


I have a complicated relationship with weddings. From 2003-2005, I went 38 weddings. (And plenty more since) I have been in 23 of them as some sort of maid of honor/bridesmaid/officiant of some indeterminate value. I just seem to mark my life by them. I've only got about two friends left that aren't married, so I don't know that I'll be purchasing any of their fancy wedding attire anytime soon, but I can't wait to see what kind of random trinket-esque things for me to blow my money on come February 14th (really?) when BHLDN has their "Unveiling." (cue signature eye roll. I love puns, but...) (Props on the Amiina song choice of "What Are We Waiting For?" BTW, BHLDN. You know how I love that Icelandic thing.)


I stared at the name of this new Anthropologie venture for about 10 minutes before I emailed Emily back saying, "Am I dense? What does BHLDN stand for?" Beholden. Beholden? I think I know the context of this word they were aiming for. But I'd avoid words with the meaning "obligated; indebted" for a company that makes marriage-related products. (For women!) I won't spell out for you, intelligent readers, why I find that slightly -- if unintentionally-- offensive. But even the example given in the dictionary is foreboding:  "a man beholden to no one."


Sort of a feminist nightmare. 


Anyhow, does the thing make me sick a little? Yeah. Will I pore over every single thing they sell? Yeah.  At least I know I'm being exploited by marketing executives, right? Happy Friday!

little manhattan

I finally saw The Kids are All Right on the plane ride back to Scotland from the States in December. And I liked it. But I'll never be able to look at Josh Hutcherson and not think of my second favorite movie of all-time. The perfect Little Manhattan. It came out the year I moved to NYC and it's Upper West Side-iness coincided with my own little bout of hanging out near the 72nd & Broadway stop. 


If it doesn't make you want to fall in love, it will make you want to fall in love with New York. So if you've never seen it, run don't walk to get it. It's kind of like a Woody Allen movie about kids. I'm serious when I say, it's a perfect movie. And just the thought of it makes me homesick for New York. Even when they're having a Thundersnow and it's a mild 45-50 degrees F around here. It is a quintessential New York movie. 


It also has a quintessential NYC soundtrack featuring "At Last," a bouncing "Love" by Matt White (which actually sounds like a sunny spring day in Central Park, and of course, "In My Life." With the Dakota right there, it's hard not to think of that song. And good guarantee that someone is going to cry. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJCQY0imtNE

Guest Post: McC offers a piece of twix, & trip to Scotland

Greetings Fergie & Fifers!

McC here, back in Los Angeles after a lovely trip through the UK.

Playing dress-up in Ryann's clothes, St. Andrews :)

Tigerlily, Edinburgh

Ryann's future house

In the off chance that this blog has not persuaded you already, I am here to attest that Miss Ferguson lives in a truly special place. We laughed, we cried, we sang in the streets and offered to split candy bars with strangers. We drank Irn Bru...we watched Downton Abbey, played in the snow, and took a costume-drama tour of Edinburgh, too! It was paradise in a teacup, and I hope to return very, very soon.

Until I can get back on a boat to St. Andrews, I've put together a little collection of

Scottish-inspired treasures from Etsy for your perusal. Hope you enjoy! xo

1) Loch Ness, by Marco Suarez, 2) St. Andrews Flag Cushion Cover

3) Ceramic Thistle Travel Mug, 4) Mary Queen of Scots screenprint

5) Edinburgh, by Emily Hogarth, 6) Scotch In Your Tea

robert burns & the birthday A-Team

Interactive Robert Burns. Seriously.

As far as Birthday conglomerations go, January 25th is about as good as it gets. It is the A-Team of birthdays. And I don't just mean the man they put on money, Mr. Robert Burns, but a cluster of my favorite people in the whole world. 


1. Preacher Barbie, Kate Floyd. She's one of the people I'm most continually in awe of. She is actually a Methodist minister. She's so compassionate, she will make you want to be a Methodist. Read more about her here. 


2. Rob Shafer. The other perfect Robbie. Also so insightful and lovely and just out there making the world a better place, sometimes you gotta sit down for a minute because your head is spinning. That's okay though, because he's a doctor, so he'd make sure you didn't pass out. If I ever wanted to disappear from the world and live in nature and just talk philosophy forever (and sometimes, I'm tempted) I think I'd suggest to Rob we just go hang on the ranch in Carizozo.)


3. Last. Best. My Dad. I've tried many times over the years to express the new and very growing ways in which my dad is the number one sign I have that the world likes me. He is the perfect dad for me. And like the other people who share his birthday, he's out there in the world talking to people about all there is to be happy about. He's entertaining them, dispensing wisdom, and supporting more people than I can wrap my brain around. 


Happy Birthday, A-Team! Go read some Burns tonight! Google's showing the love. I may read from my Burns iPhone app. 

i got lots of things to do: i was born this morning, i'm gonna die tonight

It's great when you can actually see your way to the end of the tunnel. And I can see it today. The other side of both these shows is almost there, I can taste it. Only about ten days now. My friend Joe is serving as the sound track for this week. 


Sometimes, I'll forget how good stuff is, how much I like it-- and that's why itunes is so nice. For those subtle reminders. Like, hey, Ryann, remember Things To Ruin? And sharing a bottle of wine with Joe in the lobby of Urban Stages after ReWrite? And how adorable and stupidly talented every moment of Nick Blaemire's existence is? Ah, yes I do. 


There are very few songs I'd actually be willing to classify as a masterpiece, but the first time I ever heard "I Was Born This Morning (The Cicada Song)" I knew it was something special. All of it-- from the metaphor to the sound. How it manages to keep its shape even when it's a little out of control.  What's more, I can't think of any other song that sounds like how I feel when I wake up every morning as a writer. 


How much there is to do. How little time there is to do it all. Even when you have all day, every day.


I think you know most of what you need to know about Joe Iconis with this song. Also, it's pretty impossible not to love Nick Blaemire when he's hopping around stage like that, not to mention when he sings "Honey." I've never listened to Nick sing that song and not believed him that I was the only woman for him. ;) (Well, me and every other girl in the audience, but you know what I mean.)  It's a shame there's no video of him singing it, because he is, ladies & gentleman, a delight. But you can buy it, as well as the rest of Joe Iconis's Things to Ruin here. (I also recommend Son of a Gun)


Sometimes I worry that, one day, I'll have to go back to a life where I don't get to write all day. An idea which scares the ever-loving daylights out of me. Because the only thing I like as much as I like writing-- the only thing I feel just as powerless to stop myself from doing-- is writing about, loving, appreciating my friends. Working in the arts or otherwise, I could blog for years off the momentum of that feeling. 


I'm missing them this morning, but I'm hopped up on blood and pheromones. And I got lots of things to do, I got lots of things to do... I was born this morning, I'm gonna die tonight. 

soooo many things sunday

As I head into week three of my butt being glued to my desk chair 10+ hours a day, I just want to update you on some of the latest. 

1. We have a VOTE! St Andrews cast! 

I'm so pumped for them. They are a really great bunch. Scotland is tad scant on the fierce-belting ethnicities, so for the first time ever, Ms Fowler will be white instead of the proud Black woman she normally is. And Nikki... let's just call Nikki mixed-race. From a licensing the show standpoint, we've always wanted to see what it would be like to tweak those things a bit, and now we have our chance. On both counts though, I think it's going to be just fine. 

2. New Tracks comin' atcha!

We're right in the middle of our marathon 16 song recording session of VOTE! and Nicholas & Alexandra. One of my favorite things about my recent insomnia is when those emails start rolling in from Steven and Jimmy, our amazing technician and music consultant. (We've been recording VOTE! with him for FOUR YEARS! He's like family!) The orchestrations are better, the lyrics are better. It's such an awesome concrete reward for sitting at your desk working out a puzzle all day.

3. Speaking of that puzzle, major structural changes to VOTE! are now done!! 

All that remains is three intense days of cleaning, tightening, honing, funny-ing until we send the thing off to that fun exciting opportunity I've been alluding to. Hopefully I'll be able to tell you all about it soon. After Wednesday, I'm back to dead Russians and finishing up Nic & Alix before our due date and classes start again.


Maybe I'll use my little trip to the Borders with my fellow St Andrews MLitters to actually write a short story or something... 


Hope you're having a great Sunday!

I want to be keira when I grow up

I love babies so much, my friend Seb felt he had to caution me not to kidnap any. But then he sent me this Kidnapping how-to, so I'm feeling some mixed messages! ;) Luckily, I don't have to kidnap any of my favorite babies, because their moms are all my favorite people. Like this little one. Also the star of one of my favorite posts, The Little Ballerina Rebel. Hope your Saturday is as relaxed/glamorous as this!

Davenport makes it to the Bahamas

This time last year, I was sitting in a hotel suite in Atlantic City with my work family, plotting the Davenport World Takeover. We made goals for 2010. We dreamed about being somewhere warm. And Bossman KD said that if everyone met their goals, the staff retreat would be somewhere warm in 2011. 


So I'm overjoyed that (even though I've moved on to the next chapter of my life-- where warm days are pretty limited) the Davenportians are on their way to a cruise of the Bahamas. Davenport is a pretty special place, with special people working there, and pretty badass captain.


It's easy to see how everyone met their 2010 goals with amazing projects like the at the booth ap- called by Entertainment Weekly "the best thing to happen to New York theatre since the introduction of the TKTS Booth," the new rehearsal studio and of course, this, the first-ever crowd funded musical. 


For a thousand bucks, you can be a Broadway producer of Godspell. Sort of. But Ken explains it better than me, so I'll send you that way. While you're on his blog, you should stick around. It's one of the most valuable theatre resources I can think of. You'll be Davenported (That's for you, KJ).


Have fun in the Bahamas, Davenportians! Have a Pina Colada for old Fergie!