I don't know what to name this one

I dicked on halloween but I enjoyed it, I sat on the stoop with Murray in my zebra onesie, eating candy and intimidating children all night.

I like laffy taffy.

                                              

Champions. 

Hurricane Sandy

I promised to blog about this. I received a whole bunch of worried messages through all mediums, (thank you to whoever sent the pigeon) inquiring after my safety so to satiate you all here is a blog proving that I am well. Also our internet was down for a while so that is why this is happening now instead of then. 

As I was on the way home from the gym on what I thought was a calm Tuesday afternoon, I glanced skywards to see clouds gathering way above me. As I was looking up, a bulbous rain drop fell and hit me square on the forehead. Within seconds another droplet hit me in the same way, and another and another. I had not noticed it until then but the wind had picked up and was whipping my sweat drenched hair around my face. 

I knew what this meant. 

The weather here is different, rain showers come quickly and soak you through.

I stopped staring at the sky and began to run home, fatigued by my fat burning, calorie busting workout for champions,  hoping to God I would not be caught in the worst. The rain pounded my bare skin as the wind whipped the leaves off trees and into my eyes. I ran like...Achilles(?), against the raging storm, batting airborne litter and cats from my path. I thought for a second that maybe I should have saved the stray but the words of my grandma rang in my ears: "don't be a hero because we all love you lots and lots. Send us an e-mail and tell us all about it. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" plus, cats are shit. So I charged on through the evening. 

As I rounded the corner I heard an almighty CRACK and a towering tree left it's mooring and fell into my path, missing my clownish feet by mere inches falling right across the road. I didn't have a mirror or a camera on me but I'm sure panic flashed across my face in a really beguiling and devilishly beautiful way as I warred with nature. 

" DAMN YOU SANDDYYY" I cried as I vaulted high over the twin trunks, Lara Croft (and by that I mean Angelina Jolie) style, landing with a safe double back handspring triple Arabian lay out finish. 

(I've been watching a lot of Make it or Break it recently) 

Just as I thought I had overcome the worst, a trash can lid smashed into a window to my left, shattering it into thousands of little pieces, raining shards down onto me and the street. I was terrified and now bloody but I had not a moment to lose. I brushed the pieces from about my bountiful person and strode on.

This was it, the home stretch. I legged it through the sheer chaos around me, cursing the fact I'd chosen to wear a white t-shirt today. 

After what seemed like an eternity and only seconds all at the same time, I reached the front door and fumbled with my keys. My fingers were so cold and wet that they did nothing my brain was telling them to, my usual dexterity replaced with embarrassing clumsiness. Moreover, I had left my glasses at home and I'm rationing contact lenses so I couldn't see a fuckin thing with this ghastly rain all up in my business. 

In a moment of desperation I tried using my finger to open the lock, but it proved surprisingly fruitless so I returned to the key hunt. Relief washed over me and replaced the fear and insanity as i found my keys. in the nick of time too, because my face was mainly soaked by tears of a hero instead of rain now. 

I cursed loudly and entered the warmth of the house.

 At least now I didn't have to take a shower. 

And that was my encounter with hurricane sandy. Only the events have been changed for your entertainment. 

Ok, that was entirely silly and a colossal waste of your time. Truth is, I'm living in the part of Brooklyn that thankfully WASN'T evacuated. Red Hook in "Zone A" was evacuated and it was lower manhattan that suffered the worst at first with epic flooding and power outs. I didn't actually realise how bad it was until I watched the news in the morning. I can't quote any facts cause the Internet has been out till now and no internet was really the worst we had of it... We didn't have any power cuts or flooding and no trees fell into the house. No windows shattered or cats flew at me. I lived through my first hurricane utterly unscathed.  

We've haaaave however had a week off school because the subway system is so badly damaged. Not only has the influx of water caused electrical fires in some places and damaged the tracks, it also means they are littered with debris that will takes ages to clear away. All the major bridges were closed and even now there has to be at least 3 people in the car or something to get across. I heard that approx. 100 houses burnt in one area because the wind just whipped the flames from one house to the next and the fire dept. couldn't reach them due to all the floods... nobody was hurt thankfully but the death toll overall was 40 last time I checked. 

This is all I picked up, you may have to do some googling to verify. 

We went for a walk the next day to check out just how bad the damage was in our area and here are the pics from our gander...

This was actually taken on a totally independent day from the storm but I feel like it fits with my story...

This is not my photo and Emily doesn't even know I stole it but I feel it illustrates how the storm was worse in other places.

Also not my photo... see above. 

I was going to upload this only and be like "SHIT A HURRICANE CAME aaaannd this is all that happened. We're all fine"

Ella in mid flow

DUDE WHERE'S MY CAR?! Ohh there it is with a branch through it. 

"whaat happenneddd?!"

Thats right. It got a little bit sexual.

Domination.

Take THAT Sandy.

Sandy was feelin cheeky and hid this persons car in a shrubbery. Ohhh no wait, that's a tree. 

I swear I didn't do it. IT WAS SANDY. 

Sandy was over there too. 

THE SKY IS FALLING DAMMIT

The bands of the hurricane were still coming and it got incredibly windy really quickly and then it was still again. 

I had to hold on to my pimp hat

Armageddon face.

Smoking man hole. (electrical fires... AHH)

Doesn't seem like much, but 3 people were draining their basements, pumping the water out onto the street... 

So. Much. Water. 

fin.

Halloswhat?

Halloween is fast approaching and from what I believe (and this is my interpretation of what I've learnt), Halloween originated in the 1500's, around dear Henry VIII's time. In short, because there were to many holidays for all the saints for Henry so he consolidated them into one- "All Hallows Day" (cause he's the king of England- and that means he can do whatever he wants.). Then the pagans came in and fucked it up, turning it into a "festival of the dead" of sorts, and that is where the supernatural, scary element stems from. 

But NOW it has mutated into a random day of dress up. Originally excited at the prospect of celebrating something new because Americans do halloween like nobody else I  was debating costume ideas. Here is what I came up with: 

-Lolita

-Abby from the Crucible

-Anna Karenina

-Cathy Earnshaw

-Anastasia

-Madonna from the 80's

-Sarah Palin. 

I realise that my list is hardly 'scary' per say but I was sacrificing fright factor for witty literary or contemporary references. And they are actually all pretty scary if you ask me. 

The point is, this holiday has progressed so much since we danced around celebrating various martyrdoms but so many costumes have no rhyme or reason, no connection whatsoever to the original conceit. 

Sexy witch- a sluts take on a supernatural entity

Sexy vampire- "

Sexy black cat- " 

etc etc but a sexy bee?! I have no objection to an excuse to party, but so many costumes are mindless and will help disconnect this holiday from any grounding. Whats more, we encourage our youth to traipse around the neighbourhood and demand confectionary from pseudo strangers for achieving what?!  Even if their costume is commendable, should we really reward them with food? Hahahhaha, a bit like dogs. lol. Not only that but households are expected to spend hard earned moneys on this confectionary to throw at the children, and if not, be subjected to the possibility of getting "tricked". 

"Tilly, don't be such a butt, have you actually heard of anybody actually being tricked?"

No, because even that tradition is slipping away. I aint giving shit to a fat kid in a bee costume demanding food from me. What is he going to do? "GOTT YOURR NOSSEE" ?? That would be an acceptable trick to deploy.

Ok I'll stop. Sorry for dicking on halloween and yes I'm still dressing up. 

The Proud Naked Women of New York.

Blogging really hasn't become any easier...

I've had an idea! Not only have I bought two disposable cameras in the interim between a week ago and acquiring an actual artsy film camera but I plan to make a beautiful new yorky collage to hand in at some point to make up for all the home works I either didn't do, or took the piss out of... Sorry and thank you to all that have put up with my ridiculous attempts at homework.

Perhaps it's because of my A-level results or the fact I know I have my place at Manchester tucked away safe and sound. But the... flips I give have greatly depleted. 

I try a bit... I ask my fellows what it was that I should've known or written down but they remind me that my grades don't count so I retire to a safe distance in a smug haze and continue to do jack. 

If you're reading this mum, apologies. 

To be fair, realistically, a part of the national curriculum is geared towards passing the exams at the end of the year in order to get into college or university, right? So in actual fact, what the teachers are asking of me is inconsequential, because I need not pass any exams. I am here, taking another year of school to be a sponge to the american culture, live rent free in one of the greatest cities in the world and meet fab people. The very fact that I'm willing to go back to school at all shows my commitment to furthering my education and developing my mind to superior standards. 

Homework is such a transient fallacy at this juncture in my life so instead of conforming to the rigid structures laid out for me by the school, I'm going to interpret the assignments as I see fit and do the majority of my learning in class with the future of america.  

Oh and I've been going to the gym a lot more because it's really close and it's weirdly empowering to be surrounded by the the proud naked women of new york in the changing rooms. I remain clothed but it doesn't stop them. 

Skype

Don't really know why, but I feel like these photo's need to be shared.

Every time we skype, its a battle to get pixie to see the damn screen.

ohh she hates it. 

SEXY NEVER LEFT. 

But sanity definitely did...

The gang back together :) 

Hahahhaaha, she really hates it.
This is my desktop picture.

Apologies for this boring post, but on the other hand, suck it. Woodhouse skype is majestic.

Warhol

Ho hum, pigs bum. 

Love you BEF. 

A bit of Packer during a fire drill. 

Seniors had a day off on wednesday, because some children were taking a test of some description.... So we went to the Met, which was incredible- the warhol exhibition was electric. It was a beautiful day so afterwards I went out to buy nerds and came back with a head scarf thingy made of Finnish fur... Not sure if Murrey liked it or not. 

I love getting post from my mum, she knows exactly how to please me. 

Skyping hilarity. I miss ma galls...

Halloween is everywheree.

Day 42

Day 42.

My days of contemplation in the desert are over.
Still haven't found any Ribena... And the lack of Lemsip scares me. I'm now also rationing contact lenses. Subsequently, I am still fighting off disease (I have a cold) and have realised just how frightfully blind I am.
Have run out of money already and homework has ceased to be piss easy and has progressed to requiring effort.
I auditioned for Dance Concert and hurt myself in the early stages of the combination section. Despite my injury, I was awesome and was chosen regardless (there are no cuts).
I keep meaning to write more here but I keep forgetting or finding no words.
so I provide a picture summary to jog my memory and give you an over view.

3rd sept- Cheeky grocery shopping trip to I still don't know where but I saw this and HAD to instagram it. loljk, I took a real picture. 

4th sept- Dragged Nora across the Brooklyn Bridge

Cool view even on a grey day...

Loved this until I saw 'your' was spelt wrong.

10th sept- Caspar came across the pond! So lovely to have a little piece of home with me early on

 17th sept- First time at the natural history museum! Ben stiller lied to me. It was nothing like the film. 

Afterwards I had my first burrito! Kinda gross,  so big I couldn't finish it all. 4/10.

Art is still piss easy. My favourite class by far.

My first 1000% on a test, thank you Mr Rush,  Art History is my favourite class by far. 

More hilarious art. 

28th Sept- First take out Chinese from a tiny box like in the films. Big moment for me. 

29th sept- This one time, the car broke down and I thought the tow truck looked really cool- worth a picture obviously.

29th- Dumbo Arts Festival, electric.

Part of the same light show. Watched it 3 times over

1st oct- Atlantic antic. The whole street is closed off and its like an expensive block party :) 

5th Oct- First american movie theatre experience, well, sort of.
Saw Perks of Being a Wallflower at BAM.

5th oct- One of the funniest and longest train journeys up to Albany. Sat next to a giggly black man who's name began with 'A' (He said it once but it escaped me, the gold chain round his neck gave me the clue)

7th oct- Columbus day weekend- Spent in Massachusetts with the Van Barens, beautiful place with beautiful people.
Shouts to Northfield Mount Hermon 

Max and Lily in their proto-haloween costumes

10th oct- Art has become a little bit harder

11th oct- Art History has not. 

12th oct- First ever 'Bubble Tea' was disgusting. I'm literally shuddering at the thought.
That night ordered in indian and had a cute night in the upper west side :)   

12th oct- First time Murray slept in my room, perhaps because the heap of clothes provided a warm nest... That's also Archie looking adorbs. 

And this is Nora in a hat.