Why the Brand Manager for the New York Yankees should be given a promotion or how baseball turned into 'just fashion'

Has anyone noticed the ridiculous amount of people with Yankee gear (some Red Sox too)who obviously have no idea what they are wearing? It is so strange how a hugely popular (sorry Katie) baseball team can turn into just a logo, no tie to the actual game, history, players at all. They have seen in various films and such and naturally it. I managed to ask one of these people wearing a Yankees cap, if he was a fan of the team (the jerk who wanted to knife me on the train) and his response was first 'baseball what's that?' secondly, 'oh it's not the Yankees, it's fashion'. To further my British baseball education I asked someone I work with regarding baseball and his response was 'it was the most boring four hours of my life, people kept falling asleep all around me, I tried to get drunk but the beer you have is not strong enough'. Another commented that she enjoyed the seventh inning stretch the most while watching the Sox at Fenway. All this comes down to the Brand Director for the Yankees should be given a raise for a fabulous job of extending the brand to a whole new batch of customers, even though they have no idea what they are wearing. Cheers!

D&D BFFs and SHINE, TIME, MIME

So a few of us went to the Concert for Diana this past Sunday and before I talk about the funny things I must say that it was truly an amazing event and truly fantastic that it was in celebration of one woman.

At first we were all sitting in different places due to our late ticket getting but we eventually moved to a row all together that was 2 rows down from MATT LAUER's box---yes, I typed Matt Lauer kids. And because we had such prime seats (to Matt--not the stage ;-)) we also saw Simon Cowell, Randy "Dawg" Jackson and Ryan Seacrest (who happened to be wearing a race flag as a shirt) Stars galore at this thing kids. We saw performances by Joss Stone, Nelly Furtado (AMAZING), The Feeling, Pharrell, P.Diddy, Kanye, Tom Jones, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban, Rod Stewart and some other British bands.

The entire Wembley stadium went WILD when Donny Osmond and some other "Josephs" came out and sang a song from Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat. I have never seen an entire stadium get that excited over a Broadway song!? They loved doing the wave in show lulls and really it was quite excessive...its cute the first 4 times but after that ridiculous. We danced and went wild for Kanye and were truly amazed that according to his set Diddy was tight with Diana--He sang the most dramatic version of I'll Be Missing You I have ever seen. Choir, fire, lights him in a white suit. It was definitely a tribute of someone who had had been her BFF not someone who had been asked to the concert because the Princes liked him.

Oh and Take That showed up. In our American naivete we asked the girls in front of us who they were and they about pitched us into the field (but considering how many beers one of them had thrown back I am not sure she could lift her finger in front of her face). They were THE pop group of Britain pre-Spice Girls (yes there was pop pre-Spice Girls) they broke up and then got back together minus Robbie Williams about a year ago. (Oh sexy David Beckham introduced them). They sang about SHINE and TIME and we thought the next song would be MIME but it actually was a song we knew..."whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn't mean it. I just want you back again..." (now do you Americans know who they are?)

just thought I would add a little sumin sumin to this lonely blog...instead of study for my comp ;-)

It does not happen only in movies

So, you know how in every single romantic comedy movie at some time the cast just burst into songs (i.e. My Best Friend's Wedding)? This this apparently does not only happens in movies. It also happens to grad students in London. Twice.

The first time we were at Gloucester Arms (our local pub) and the pub started playing Star (or You Say) from Lisa Lobe, and Ashely, Josselyn, Katie and myself jsut started singing the WHOLE song without stopping. The funny thing is that the four of us realized what we were doing, but did not stop. It only encouraged us to keep singing louder.. oops, I feel bad for the people there now, but whatev, they probably laughed for a while.

So, the second time was last Sunday as Jen, Ashley, Katie, Jill and I were on our way back from Spetifield market (or whatever it's called) and on the tube we started singing first the same Lisa Lobe song, and somehow someone mentioned... "Do you know what other song is one of those forgettable songs? One of us by Joan Osborne." So as you can imagine, we ALL start singing the song in the tube.

The only difference between real life and movies is that in real life people don't sing along with you. buuuu people suck!

cheeri-o

beep

We have a fire alarm test every Monday at 8:50am. This is monumentally annoying, but probably less obnoxious for us than for the undergrads who are trying to sleep in. Hah.

One thing I've discovered is that when the alarm goes off, the elevators (yeah, "lifts," whatever) automatically descend to the ground floor. The last two weeks I've managed to get into one just as the alarm began to ring, which gives me a nice uncrowded ride directly to the bottom to go to class. So the trick is to time it so that you get into the elevator right at 8:50, because if you try it any later you'll have to take the stairs. Of course, now my secret is out and I'll have to find new ways to avoid sharing those tiny metal booths with people.

Skinny grad students!

Well yes, apparently we are skinny now, or at least not fat enough for the Lady of the Lift to scream at us to get off her lift. She still has most of the same issues. She doesn't know if shes going up or down, if she's closing or opening the door, and she is still annoying as hell. But at least we are not fat anymore! woo hoo!

I don't know why I though it was important to blog about this, but it just is!

cheeri-o!!

Good luck with all the papers, yeah I should be writing that, instead of this blog.

What is 'Punting'?

For all of you wondering exactly what Punting in Cambridge is, Katie and I came up with what we consider to be a fairly accurate definition: HOT HALF-NAKED MEN WITH BIG STICKS.

In reality, punting is no more that a gongola ride with a shirtless hot guy with well defined muscles. Even though you take the tour to see the gardens and the buildings, we focused on the punters, because that was more visually appealing than grass and old buildings. Although we did see where they filmed the broom sceen in the first Harry Potter movie.

Overall Cambridge is not that bad, but I would only go back to see the punters.

By the way, one undergrad was left in Cambridge because they are all not very bright and can't follow directions. Apparently be here 10 minutes before 4.30 means...santer over at 4.45 or whenever. I only wished we could leave more undergrads behind.

Oh... by the way, apparently they do not like to sit with us as evidenced by the fact that our tour guide had to ask them like 10 times to fill the seat next to us, until she finally had to order one to do it. She was nice though.

Can you Text me what you just said? and Project Lovebirds

Okay so wonders upon wonders at Heaven, one of the hottest gay clubs in the world apparently, I get hit on. I meet this guy with a heavy French accent who falls extremely hard for me--I mean who wouldn't? We exchange numbers and he promises to call me on Saturday (looking really pitiful I might add).

He called me at noonish on Saturday and asked "when he could meet me?" not "if he could meet me" but WHEN. I said that I was working on papers and would call him about 3:30. Katie, Josselyn and I are at a pub and he calls twice and texts once BEFORE 3:30. I text him about meeting in Trafalgar--nice BIG and PUBLIC place. He doesn't text me back and everyone including Erik (who now joined us) says to call him. I call him and cannot understand a LICK of what he is saying. He keeps saying WHAT? because clearly to him "what" is the equivalent of of the 5Ws and the H and I am saying "what" because I do not understand a word he is saying. Everyone is cracking up and finally I am just like, "can you text me what you just said and we will discuss it that way?"

He calls back later and I understand EVERYTHING he says--why because he got a friend to call and ask questions. So Josselyn, Katie and Erik go with me to be my chaperones/body guards for this "date." The dubbed it Project Lovebirds. I tried to determine why exactly he was at Heaven and if this was a place he frequented but no progress made there. He also brought two friends but mine were incognito--just following us around in case he tried to drag me off into the London sunset. But as you can tell I lived to blog about it so all is well that ends well.

Tips for sketchy European dates:

1. BIG and PUBLIC places only
2. Order drinks in bottles--no food
3. If he calls a grand total of about 7 times in a day and makes you promise to call him the next day, you now have a big burly boyfriend/girlfriend just getting out of jail ready to maim anyone that has tried anything with you.
4. Let him know that "come home with me" is not appropriate first ten minute conversation
5. Hire the crackjack bodyguard team of Josselyn, Katie and Erik--they have top of the line equipment, the ability to meet randoms in Trafalgar and x-ray vision for those really sketchy times.

Dance Frodo Dance or why people should not turn every movie into a musical no matter how good it seems...

Okay so since I am such a musical nut I decided to attend LOTR the musical last night. One thing was it was three hours long much like the movies. Unlike the movies though was the fact that they were all squished into ONE musical. This stage production had two intermissions (To delineate between the stories). The acting was very flat and it was almost comical when Legolas (formally Orlando Bloom) came out and there was an audible annoyed sigh that this actor was not as good looking as Bloom. Poor guy. The singing was good, especially from the two female leads. But it comes down to the fact that the songs came out of nowhere and most of the time were some what forced. And yes there was a song about the ring with Gollum singing (that was for you Ash). Gollum was good (got the most applause) but ended up looking more like a walking skeleton that has epilepsy then the movie version that we are all used to.

The thing that saved my sanity for sitting there for so long were the sets. They were without a doubt the best sets I have seen in a stage production, musical or otherwise. They had rotating stages that changed shape, smoke, flying actors coming from the ceiling, 15ft spiders that scared the crap out of me, talking trees, men as horses and the best thing, everything moved so seamlessly. My overall assessment is that if you are at all interested in set design then go. If you can get a half price ticket, go. It was a good try but I am sure that Tolkien would have a thing or two to say about Aragon and Legolas's flat and stiff acting skills.

Adding a little imagery to our trip on the bus

(We got on the wrong bus???)

(The night before with two of the four ladies who got on the wrong bus, Rachel paid attention to directions)

Hey all,

Since I am a blogger newbie I figured I would try to add a few photos of our lovely trip to Bath. Hope that this works. =) Cheers!

Petticoat Market

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to inform you of the crazy Petticoat market. Basically, it's an outdoor flea market with tons of clothes, shoes, bags, and other sundries. Some clothing booths advertise where the clothes came from (topshop, dorothy perkins, etc). However, in others, the clothing can be slightly sketchy only because the tags have been cut out (don't let that stop you though!). Everything is pretty cheap - I got two shirts for a grand total of 5 pounds - and I saw at least one person haggling. I recommend you check it out at least once; I know I'll be going back. It's a few blocks from the Liverpool St. tube stop on the Circle line. Its main day is Sunday but it's also open during the week and closed on Saturday.
Cheers

A Wayward Trip to Bath

As I'm sure some of you have heard, several of us (Esther, Amelda, Ashley and Josselyn) got a little sidetracked on our way to the country town of Bath and Avebury.

On the morning in question, we were stumbling out of Starbucks on our way to 43 Harrington Gardens, when the four of us were greeted by an American gentleman who asked us if we were 'going to Bath?' In response to his question we answered "Yes!" and in what only could have been a daze of heightened anticipation, the four of us proceeded to follow him onto these rather posh coach liners.

Delighted to see that the coaches taking us to Bath were in in fact parked on Gloucester Road, we jumped on board and settled in with the undergrads for a lovely snooze into the country. After the coach pulled away from the curb and heading out of the city, Josselyn (clever girl) decided to strike up a conversation with the young man next to her.

Low and behold, this boy had no idea about Boston University..in fact he and everyone else on the bus were from a completely different program!! As soon as we realized our mistake...it was too late! Trapped in a bit of a sticky situation, we decided to play it cool (i.e. sleep the whole time and deny everything) until we reached our final destination. Thankfully, 'alls well that ends well' and luckily because of Rachel's diplomatic styling we were able to blend back into the BU crowd without even being missed!

Moral of the story...when spending the wee hours of the morning at the Roof Top Gardens and then staggering down the street in a caffeine daze, don't talk to strangers!!

Cheers!

Roof Gardens... Two thumbs up

Yes... Yesterday night some of us (Josselyn, Ashley, Becky, Esther, Amelda, Melissa, Hillary, Rachel, and me) ventured to the hauty and sophisticated night life in London by going to a place called Roof Gardens (apparently Sienna Miller goes there). We had heard that the place was pretty cool and had a roof garden (therefore the name) but that it was a £20 cover charge ($40 USD).

But as we walk out of the elevator toward the gardens we can see why it's £20. It's amazing... just the view and to the ambiance is fab. Granted the drinks were also a bit expensive but that's why we were smart and got there hammered (right josselyn?).

As per music in the outside its a loungey kind of setting, with very melow music to chill and talk. And inside the rythm comes to life and they play EVERY type of music (with a dance-ish beat, because well, it's London) to which you can shake your bootie.

In my opinion, and I would say in everyone's opinion, Roof Gardens is a must while being in London.

cheeri-o!

wait, we have class?

Since everyone else has blogged about London life, the social program and the building, I thought it might be nice to have some insights into the classes we're taking, by way of telling you about our two professors.

Prof. Alex MacLeod
Origin: New Zealand.
Class: Media. (CM744)
Credentials: a lifetime in journalism, most notably about 17 years with radio news program "This Week Tonight" on BBC4.
Likes: turtlenecks with sportcoats, the British penchant for understatement, the Queen.
Dislikes: British tabloid papers, the fickle public that supports them, Celebrity Big Brother, Prince Charles.
Overall impressions: Seems a very informed and extremely sharp guy. Likes to conduct his four-hour classes in two halves with a 20-minute break in between, which, when combined with a fairly soft voice and laid-back manner, can become dangerous for students who happen to be jet-lagged or sleep-deprived. His "media" course (not sure what the full title is) thus far seems to better deserve a title like "Media and Government," which is disappointing for those of us interested in the corporate or nonprofit side of things. This may be a PR-specific complaint, though. He's been fairly accomodating to those who wanted to revise his choices for the term paper assignment, setting up a fourth option directed to the advertising students, but all the options again dealt with the relationship between media and government. He gave us a huge list of books to read, which I haven't attended to yet. Personally, I like him and am fairly impressed with his experience, as he's definitely been there and done that.

< England just went up 1-0 on Brazil in the first international football match played at Wembley since it reopened this year. Assist for Beckham. >

Prof. Nigel Knight
Origin: England.
Class: Comparative Political Systems. (CM745)
Credentials: lifelong academic, educated at the London School of Economics (...best econ school on the planet...) and if I recall, a former Oxford guy.
Likes: the constitutions of France and Germany, prime ministerial trivia, the debate style of the House of Lords.
Dislikes: Winston Churchill, John Major, Britain's lack of a written constitution.
Overall impressions: Also knows his stuff. He did, after all, write the book on British government since 1945, which in a daring bit of nomenclature is entitled "Governing Britain Since 1945." Enjoys referring to his methods as "laissez-faire," which is reflected in his two-breaks style of conducting class and the fact that we get to choose our own paper topics. Completely and hilariously incapable of spelling anything correctly on a whiteboard while lecturing. Also pronounces "Law Lords" in a hysterically funny manner. I think I like him even better than Alex, just because he's less composed and more British.

The courses so far have been almost entirely lectures, except for a 600-word test/essay question today with Prf. MacLeod. Didn't seem to be so much of a right-wrong question as a way to get us thinking and feel out our writing abilities. We have our final paper assignments already, but things will be rushed for awhile since we're trying to cram eight credits into five weeks. I'm personally looking forward to the international marketing communications course with Tobe and Otto later in the summer.

The lady of the lift.

Yes, there is a lady of the lift and to be quite frank, she is a PAIN. Since the first time we stepped into the elevator we heard a very random "lady" telling us that we are fat and that we were in the "wrong floor." How dare she insult us in that manner! Well she does not really say "You are fat," but she says, "Will the last person please step out" which means that we are to fat to go in.

And to worsen things, she is VERY indecisive. First she says "Going Up," but then changes her mind, "Going down." Aaaaannnd not only that but apparently she has no idea on what she is doing because she tells us "doors opening," and a second later she says "door closing" and again.

Katie and I came to the conclusion that she has no idea on what she is doing. She probably is in need of a "Lord of the lift" to chill her out a bit; but in the meantime I suggest that someone put a sock on her!

cheeri-o!

running in london

hey guys, meandering through hyde park has been fun but not so productive for my exercise routine... i found this useful site of running routes and thought i would share: http://www.serpentine.org.uk/routes/

hope you enjoy-- weather permitting, that is.

"cheers,"

giulia

Bank holidays for no reason?

So apparently no one in England actually knows why there are Bank Holidays except for reducing the productivity of the British worker (according to our professor at least). The average British worker gets 6 weeks off a year, and it is growing slowly. I do love however that in fact there are two holidays today and we still had class. Our Prof. looked as bored as most of us today by the end of the lecture so that made me feel much better. Currently debating whether to do some wandering in this boston-esq weather. This whole no much reading thing is something I could get used to. Cheerio y'all.

Even Gilligan would have said no...

I do believe it will be a running trend to discuss how badly we are treated by these "social programme people" here to help us navigate the city. Today us graduate students were horribly tricked into being stuck on a boat in the middle of the Tims for FOUR hours. Would you go on a boat for four hours--I doubt you would. We were told it was a "short academic boat ride" with "food and drinks,"-- not a boat that would hold us a captive with only coke and kit kat bars for nourishment.

It was freezing, I marveled at the wonders and classlessness that is the undergrads, I learned some names of some bridges I could read for myself and I saw that building that looks like a fabrege egg. All in all a trip I could have done without. Clearly the entire group should have seen the sign from God when Ms. "X Marks the Spot" completely forgot to tell us to get on the boat. We should have marched right back to Westminster tube and called it a day.

Does "X" mark the spot? apparently not in England.

We all grew up with the idea that X marks the spot (as learned in movies such as Indiana Jones), but we were wrong all these years. X does not mark the spot...

Social programmes here scheduled a mixer at this place in Covent Garden called Bunker and on the back of the ticket it had a map with a big arrow pointing down to where you could see an X. So, after watching Equus (yes, naked Harry Potter) Josselyn, Rachel, Jen and I ventured to this place in search of the X. It took us approximately 15 min to get there, and there was not bunker ANYWHERE. We asked around, and nobody has any idea of this place, we call everyone we can think of, Amelda was helping us online to look the place up and nothing.

We decided to go toward the arrow venturing through AMAZING shops and streets, and to our suprise it was there.... X does not mark the spot. Funky arrow does.

When we get to the door, the BU people are there taking our tickets and we explain that their respone was "OH, in London X means Church." But in the morning we ask our professor, who said... "No, here in London X also marks the spot."

Lesson: When doing the BU British programme NEVER follow the X on what they give you. Follow any other stupid sign on the map. That will take you to your destination.

hello and welcome.

Hey there.

Somewhere in the midst of our whirlwind first few days in London, we COM London graduate students decided we needed a good way to keep our friends and family members apprised of our activities here in London. All seventeen of The Crofton's fifth-floor grad students are invited to post on this blog whenever they choose, and anyone can stop by and get updated on the latest things we've been doing. We'll be posting our acivities and social events, photos, various complaints about schoolwork and reflections on the program. Hopefully, this will give future students (and administrators) at BU an idea of how the program works and what actual participants really think of it.

I'm the admin on this thing, so anyone with technical problems should shoot me an email to try to straighten them out.

Enjoy.



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