Coat of many colors

Magnet #537 - Elderly Couple, Uzbekistan, purchased by my sister Julie

Save the World Sister keeps bugging me to start giving people magnet bylines for magnets that are given to me. As much as I appreciate every single magnet ya'll have given me, I'm not going to start doing that.

The second I do, I have to go back through the last 535 magnets and figuring out from whence they came. What if I make a mistake? What if you're offended? No, I can't always give credit where credit is due - just know that I'm much appreciative if you've given me a magnet or 30. I love them all.

That said, Save the World Sister is the one who brought me this magnet from the far reaches of Uzbekistan, having spent time there with the Peace Corps. Thank you. Julie. Who purchased this magnet. Magnet #537. From Uzbekistan. Hee.

I'm picking this one for today because it totally reminds of the only two reality shows that I've totally gotten sucked into - BBC's Any Dream Will Do and How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? where they allowed the British public to cast Joseph from Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Maria from Sound of Music for the West End productions.

I couldn't help it. I know they both aired more than a couple of years ago in the UK, but just now got to us here in the States this year. I know they both had winners that I totally Googled, so that I was completely and totally spoiled for the endings. I know it was superduper cheesy and I got way too involved in the shows and the contestants. I know that my search engines have begun saving the phrase, "josephs/marias, what are they doing now?"

But, dudes. C'mon. It was Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was John Barrowman. It was Graham Norton. And there were pretty boys! Singing! With accents! Hells, yeah I was there. Every Sunday night. No lie. Even when the pretty boys from Joseph turned into the pretty girls from Maria. Odd how you get attached to your favorites, though. (And scary, too. Now I see how ya'll American Idol folks get sucked in.)

Oh, I know it's silly - but in high school, I had a thing for Andrew Lloyd Webber's music. Ok, really, it was a thing for my hot band director, who had a thing for Andrew Lloyd Webber's music, but still, I'm very grateful he introduced me to ALW's work. So of course I loved watching their musical performances from all of ALW's shows (Loved it all, except for when they made the silly Marias fight - that was downright degrading and seriously ticked me off).

I am still mad that BBC-A took so long in airing the two shows - I mean, two years? If they'd aired Joseph last year, I would have totally bought a ticket during my December Is there a Doctor in the House trip! Then I wouldn't have been so sad to miss out on David Tennant's Hamlet! I could have seen my beloved Lee Mead's Joseph, instead of anxiously waiting for him to get a Broadway role this season. And I totally would have gone to see Connie Fisher's Maria!

Oh, silly BBC-A. Don't even get me started about how annoyed I am that everyone's oh-so-excited that they picked up Doctor Who Series 5 to air closer to their UK transmission dates, and are even committing to airing them unedited. Right. That should have been by rote, ya'll. Hmph. I refuse to thank Garth Ancier for a decision that should have been made as a matter of course. (Of course, I refuse to forgive Garth Ancier for not hiring me in the first place. No, he didn't close any doors for me [see what I did there?], he should have just known I wanted to work for him.)

Moooooving along...so why this magnet for realz? C'mon. Lookit at the old guy's coat! It's totally a coat of many colors, there's yellow and green and purple and...

What?

"It's that spaceship-lookin' thing down by the Bay"*

Magnet #516 - Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru

Ok. Who here is surprised that after I magnetblogged on the other Millennium Centre magnet, that I totally bought another one?

Of course, I bought one. How could I not?

The other one's still my favorite - that's the one that my sister brought back for me from her own trip, just in case I flaked on my Cardiff daytrip. But, I love this one, because of how the building inscription is backlit. It's my favorite design element of this building.

I posted a link to the whole album below, but I didn't even realize that I recreated this magnet on my own. Hahah. Lookit!

And, I'm using this one for yesterday, because Captain Jack Harkness just blowed up Torchwood Cardiff with that bomb in his tummy! A big gaping hole, right here - narrowly missing the Millennium Centre, the Pierhead, and the National Assembly Building - Senedd, as well. What? You also know I totally just rewound to make sure.

During my Is there a Doctor in the House UK trip last December, I spent a very long day in Cardiff - wandering around Cardiff and Cardiff Bay. (By the way, LOVE the logo, Cardiff. Sorry, a little work distraction there.)

The one-on-one guided tour of the Millennium Center with my Welsh tour guide was totally the highlight of quite possibly the entire UK trip. I plan on going back to take the architecture-specific tour, but she was terrific, the loveliest guide ever. Very proud of the majesty of the building, and rightly so.

Because it was just the two of us, we got to roam around a lot more. She led me through corridor after corridor, dressing rooms, stages, and rehearsal space, explaining everything from design to facility details along the way. They used all native Welsh materials during the two and a half years to build it - five different woods (ash, beech, cherry, chestnut and oak), plus 1,200 tons of slate and 4,500 tons of steel. And, they have like seven companies in residence, including the Welsh National Opera.

The main theatre was absolutely gorgeous, and we got to see where the Royals sit during the performances. (Darn if they're not hosting Sound of Music with my favorite Connie Fisher, the winner of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? Yes. That was a spoiler. You can't hold it against me - the show aired in the UK almost two years ago now.)

My two favorite places were the public space of the lobby, where it's big enough to hold public performances at lunchtime, and the upper floors, where you can see behind the giant inscription of the facade.

Absolutely. Spectacular. Seriously, you can see why this building is included on the 1001 Buildings to See Before You Kick It list.

Of course, I'm not going to lie - I reveled in walking the Doctor's footsteps - this was where they filmed the New Earth episode.

• So, like a dork, I totally stepped into the elevator and waited to get showered with antibacterial spray. (It didn't happen.)
• Like a dork, I totally went into their little shop. (Where I bought this magnet.).
• Like a dork, I totally took a picture of the TARDIS in the lobby. (No key to get in.)
• And like a dork, I totally lingered over the Doctor Who concept drawings exhibition on the mezzanine floor. (No, I didn't buy anything.)

Funnily enough, it took me a bit before I admitted to my guide being a Doctor Who/Torchwood fan. Even funnier, the guide, an actress in company at the Centre, is friends with Eve Myles, who by all accounts is the nicest person ever. I knew that, just from the Torchwood session at this year's NY ComicCon.

So...Cardiff. Wonderful place to visit. For more than a day. I'm planning on going back, the first chance I get. (I didn't get to do a tour of the Senedd, and, I missed the second Torchwood entrance! Three hours on the Bay and you'd think I'd done more than a tour and eating lunch at Wagamama's. Heh. And, don't even get me started on Cardiff Castle, which I missed as well - and I have a whole magnet for that one. Heh.)

Oh! One last thing - the tour guide (from Swansea) had a lyrical Welsh accent - it's beautiful! Mind you, the only Welsh I know is Nadolig Llawen which is Merry Christmas. And the only reason I know that, is because of David Tennant and Billie Piper doing the Blackpool Illuminations a few years ago, and then, only because there was a DT vid diary where they're desperately and cutely rehearsing the phrase for the lights.

Hah. Nadolig Llawen - there's your bit of Christmas in July, I suppose.


*What the visitors center representative at the train station told me I wouldn't miss, when I asked him for directions to the Bay.

eta:
Huh. Every so often, I remember that I'm a bit of a geek. That's ok. I'll own the hell out of this one.

Gimme a break! Gimme a break!

Magnet #319 - Kit Kat

The whole time I was in London, I noticed a plethora of Kit Kats wherever I went. But, I hadn't a clue that it is the number one selling candy bar and cookie in the UK? Seriously.

Who knew? Now I'm sad I didn't bother to pick one up while I was there. Stupid me packed a bag of Snickers for my trip.

Kit Kats are fascinating! Bear with me.

Apparently, it was originally produced by Rowntrees in York, who then were bought by Nestle. But Hershey's already had a licensing agreement to sell it here in the States. So everywhere else in the world, Kit Kats are from Nestle, except for here. Kind of how Cadbury is also made by Hershey's here. Chocolate production is complicated, man.

I'm directing you to the (most likely corporate-run) Wiki from here, but only because it's seriously an interesting set of facts of what Kit Kats are like and/or mean around the world.

They were originally developed in the mid-30s because some Rowntree employee dropped a suggestion in a suggestion box about how guys needed to have some sort of manly man chocolate treat for their lunchboxes. (Yes, I'm paraphrasing Wiki, but my manly man chocolate treat version is SO much better, no?)

They shortened the name after World War II, which means my vintage packaging magnet that I got at the superneat Museum of Brands in London is pre-WWII. Neat. It's really funny how my knowledge of chocolate in the World Wars is all of Hershey, and how it was sent along to our boys, brought round the world, smuggled into certain places and traded here and there. I never stopped to consider that there was any other option during WWII (or any other war, for that matter), but good ole Hershey's.

Anyway. Museum of Brands. If you've a spare hour or two, definitely pop in. It's a bit out of the way. So out of the way, you can't find it. I love me a good mews, but the museum is at Colville Mews (not Colville Terrace, not Colville Square or Colville Lane, or Colville Place - POOR signage. Seriously.), just off of Portobello Road.

Once you find your way there, you get to wander around a chronological fantasia of packaging through the decades. Which I loved. Except that it was way too dense. (The picture on their home page? Think that...but in glass-enclosed cases floor to ceiling and just as wide. Chock full of stuff to look at. And then think from the 1800s, decade by decade through to the present.) It's practically a visual assault. Superpretty, but ultimately dizzying.

My fave thing was (of course) the accordion cards they had for the Great Exhibition of 1851. But, then at the end of all the decades, the corporate sponsored section (Cadbury, Unilever, Kellogg, and a couple of ad agencies) has certain products where they show it from the very first packaging back in the 1800s, etc. all the way through to the current packaging. It's quite neat. And, if I hadn't wasted so much time looking for it, I probably would have spent at least another hour there.

Finally (yes, this post got away from me, I know - sorry), the reason why I even picked Kit Kats this week. It's because Toxel did a special post on creative bench advertising last month. That's right, park benches. Check it out. But, here's the Kit Kat bench. Fun stuff!

Anyway, gonna go now, to break me off a piece of that Kit Kat Bar!

Underwriters above the rest

Magnet #311 - Lloyd's of London

The Lloyd's of London building headquarters is on the 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die list. So how could I not visit?

Amazing. It's freakish looking, all modern, with exposed everything, and shiny bits and bobs and funny-looking towers and what have you. And, it was done by the same guy who designed the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and you can see that fact plastered all over this "inside-out" design.

Designed by Richard Rogers in 1986, it was the height of modernism back in the day. Some folks didn't (and still don't) take too kindly to it, but it certainly is an interesting building to look at. As for me, I love looking at it. And they have a Lloyd's building shop on the ground floor. Hence the magnet. Love.

It's much nicer when viewed from farther away, when you're walking in its shadow, you lose a lot of the detail. Plus, you lose a lot of sunlight, just because it's so large that it really does block out the sun.

Lloyd's of London was actually created in a coffee shop, owned by Edward Lloyd, and they basically took his name. That was back in 1688. Whoa. More history, here.

According to this, the best book ever, I Never Knew that About London, they have the Lutine Bell, which came from an old French ship (lost at sea) that Lloyd's had underwritten back in 1799. They used it to let people know when one of their overdue ships had arrived. They announced bad news with one strike, and good news with two. They still ring it, every once in a while - usually for ceremonies, or unusual disasters.

Useless fact of the day: Lloyd's of London used to have their contract with all the terms of whatever they were insuring. And then, they all wrote their signatures at the bottom of the contract - hence the term underwriters.

Sigh. Great building, great history, great city. I finally posted my Arts & Architecture album on FB, which includes a few Lloyd's shots. Though, not as many as I wanted to include, I know.

Stand clear of the closing doors, mind the gap, and step back to allow passengers to board

Magnet #308 - Good service on all lines

Some observations noted, after having ridden the transit systems of three major cities (New York, London, and Washington, DC) in the last week.

Best transit map design: New York. They're big, they're pretty, they're associated with an actual city map. The others are pretty, sure enough, but doesn't really give you enough geographical orientation.

Best schedules and/or service announcements: Tie between Washington and London. At least you know when/if a train is coming before a garbled message comes on.

Cleanest trains: London

Cleanest buses: London, by default. I'm told only tourists ride them there, but they rock. I've never ridden in Washington, and I once saw a roach on one in New York.

Smallest trains: London. So tiny. Like how can they fit people in there?

Biggest trains: Washington. Even so, I keep bumping the bottom of my thigh against the hard armrest. Ouchie!

Cleanest train stations: Washington

Prettiest train stations: Draw between New York and London. And by that, I mean the tilework, the public art and sometimes train station design. (Actually, as far as coolest train stations, it really is a draw if you compare New York's Grand Central with something like London's Paddington or Canary Wharf.)

Grossest train tracks: New York. Trust me, from firsthand knowledge do I know that NYC MTA track grime - does not come off your skin easily.

Worst to travel with luggage: New York. (Or, London, if you're coming in/out through Heathrow, staying off the Picadilly line, at a station with lifts to the street.) Though, what the heck is up with no lifts to Gatwick Express at Victoria station in London?

Best to travel with luggage: Washington. God bless the escalators.

Scariest escalators: A draw, depending on the station. And the angle of descent. Or ascent, come to think.

Nicest escalators: London. The adspace alone is dizzying. Washington tries, but it's really...sorta concrete.

Best buses: London. I know they're mostly for tourists, but I love them mostly cuz they're double-deckers, and how much does it rock to sit up top.

Prettiest buses: London. They've got a new bus design winner, so they may get even prettier!

Nicest staff: London. I've never seen a DC transit worker on the platform. And New York can be a little short if you approach them wrong.

Best commuters: Washington. New Yorkers can be downright mean, but Londoners are a bit passive-aggressive. And they don't say excuse me.

And the grand prize for best transit system: Tie between New York and London. You don't have to walk too far to the next station - so it's function over form for both cities.

Did I miss anything?

Totally Tsar-rific

Magnet #305 - Fabergé Egg #2, Equestrian Egg

So, I mentioned before that I love Fabergé eggs.

This one's the Alexander III Equestrian Monument Egg, as near as I can tell. The colors are a bit off, but all the design elements are there, so it must be the right name. It was made in 1910, of gold, platinum, diamonds, lapis lazuli and rock crystal.

Last week, I finally got to go back to one of my favorite museums ever - the Victoria & Albert, one of the grandest museums devoted to art and design in the world. It was established in 1852, the year after the Great Exhibition.

One of their special exhibits is the Magnificence of the Tsars, and while it was a gorgeous exhibit, I was saddened by the lack of Fabergé Eggs (and therefore, lack of cool Fabergé Egg magnets). Instead, they sort of went the cheesy route, selling the matryoshka doll magnets, which of course I bought. Honestly, I just wanted one or two eggs to have been included.

But, there were several pieces included in the exhibit that were astounding - according to the older design students and designers that were fairly a-twitter over the cases. I was enjoying their reactions - in between waiting for them to read every sign. (Something that usually people are waiting on me to finish doing).

One of the coolest things they had (besides the undergarments and the lush overcoats) was the coronation-wear. Amazing. So beautifully designed, with detailing that would blow you away. Simply gorgeous.

Well, if you can get around the fact that almost 2,700 ermines gave their lives for just this one coronation mantle. I've never been particularly save the world-y, but dudes, they made three identical ones for the emperor, empress and the dowager empress - that's more than 8,000 cute as buttons ermines!

Now there's a part of me that thinks maybe PETA was behind the Revolution.

In These Stones, Horizons Sing

Magnet #302 - Wales Millennium Centre

So, today I'm headed for Cardiff. Yes. Cardiff. In Wales. Yes. That Wales. For the whole day. Yes. A whole day.

There's a few reasons why. Chief among them is that even though there's a Doctor Who Exhibition at Earl's Court here in London, not two stops away from me, I'm going to the DW Exhibition in a mall in Cardiff. The show's shot nearby, and uses several exteriors around town. So it just seems more authentic (for the new incarnation of the series), to go visit this location and then walking around town.

But, a really big reason is for this building here - the Wales Millennium Centre. It's a working theatre, designed by Jonathan Adams. And, if you've ever watched Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, you'll have seen this gorgeous building. Belowground is where the Torchwood hub is, on the show. But, the venue is on the 1001 Buildings to See Before You Die list, and so I'm checking it off with (hopefully) a tour today.

My favorite part of the building is the facade, where the giant words are first in Welsh, and then in English - and if you look carefully at the magnet, you see the phrase is: In These Stones, Horizons Sing. There's just something awesome about it.

OK, I probably won't be back in time to edit this post, and the next magnetpost will be superlate tomorrow night.

And, gosh. It looks like I'll have to buy a whole other magnet to talk about the actual tour. I know you're shocked.

A post-tour eta:
I had the best tour yesterday - a native Welsh actress from Swansea, with a gorgeous accent to boot. So much fun, and I was the only one on her tour. Plus, how fitting is it that she was actually in a Doctor Who episode, as well.

She was very proud of the heritage of the building and Wales, and it was a lovely thing to see. She went through all the details behind the design elements, and explained the inscription on the front of the building. It's not a direct translation - the poem was written half in Welsh, half in English. It says: "Creating truth like glass from inspiration's furnace, In these stones horizons sing."

The readiness is all

Magnet #301 - BBC

So, yesterday, we did the BBC Tour, where I’ve pictures with a TARDIS (yay!) and a Dalek (boo!) and I bought tons of swag (yay, again!).

I also learned a ton. Or rather, a tonne:

Apparently, the BBC World News that we get in the States on BBC-A or on PBS has never been seen by the folks on UK soil. It's not permitted to transmit here, which makes me wonder all sorts of conspiracy theories. What are they showing us, that they can't show their people here at home? Hmmmm.

When asked why in the heck Auntie Beeb schedules their programming in such odd increments and times – like 39 minutes at 7:28 or 58 minutes at like 6:40, or whatever – there was no standard answer aside from “Who says that on the hour/half-hour programming has to be the standard? Why does that make it right? C’mon, we’re a kooky little island, haven’t you learned that by now?”

The BBC hires real-live certified meteorologists (which means my Dave Price, the Early Show weatherman who “only synthesizes the weather for us” couldn’t get a job there) who aren’t on state wages (whoa, does that mean David Tennant’s a civil servant?), but who get a clothing allowance (which explains the weathergirl in the silly capris with kitten heels I saw yesterday morning – who knows what the weather report was, it was freezing, and the weathergirl was in capris! Capris!). Also, there was a look of sheer bewilderment from our guide when asked if they have a dedicated weather channel, followed by a slightly disdainful, “Uh, no? Because we don’t like our weather as much?”

Oh. Ohhhhh. Maybe you’re looking to know how Edward Bennett’s Hamlet was. Well, during the fairly entertaining Q&A session afterward with some of the cast (including a very energized, but slightly frustrated Patrick Stewart), Edward Bennett said, “Look, you’re either ready to play Hamlet, or you’re not.” And, as my post title says, the readiness is all. Yeah, he was ready.

I agree with many critics that you can see where the production was slightly tailored to David Tennant, and you could almost see how Tennant would have interpreted certain lines and gestures. But, Edward was fabulous, if a little understated. Patrick Stewart was amazing. The rest of the cast were pretty darn great, too.

The whole production, with its Spartan, but well-executed against sets was fabulous. I can see why David would be devastated at having to drop out of the show. There’s a tiny part of me that’s glad he did, though. I hate seeing physical altercations, and this production (I imagine with all of them, actually), has several pivotal ones. But it’s the two superintense scenes with Hamlet, where he pretty much assaults Ophelia, and later, Gertrude, that were disturbing for me. I don’t think I would have liked to see David be so ruthless and borderline misogynistic.

Oh! But dudes – Patrick Stewart would like to add “coughing” to the list of things you turn off at shows, along with cell phones, etc. I dunno how you do that, but it seriously screws up a play when people are coughing throughout the whole thing. He was livid, and almost distraught, at how bad last night was – and I quote: “it almost made me want to give up.”

So, if you have a cold, don’t go see a show. Or you darn well better bring some Halls (other cough drops are available).

So yeah, no, there's no Doctor in the house

Magnet #300 - Shakespeare's Henry VI

What, you thought I'd do another breakdown of today's day? Eh, I might edit this post later tonight, but we all know that big ticket item today is tonight's performance of David Tennant's Hamlet.

No. Wait. I mean, it was the big ticket. Now, I'm going to see Edward Bennett's Hamlet. I'm sure it'll be fine, I keep telling myself. One thing I'm glad for is that at least I'm seeing it a week into his run - they've had time to tuck into their new roles and what not. Plus, there's the whole Q&A session after the show. I'm looking forward to hearing someone ask Patrick Stewart how he was able to cram both Macbeth and Hamlet into one year. (I'm sure the answer will be properly self-deprecating, but come on, folks, it's Patrick Stewart - who else could make it so.)

Sigh. Anyway.

I do think it's a bit ironical that I haven't any Shakespearean insults from Hamlet. Thwarted again. Hah. I was gonna use another one - "As dull as night" from Merchant of Venice, but who knows, maybe Edward will convince me to actually like Hamlet.

I do hope David Tennant's recuperating well, really, I do. Or, as one of my friends said last night, maybe he'll be over at the BBC during our tour this morning.

What? Maybe they don't have direct deposit!

Oh! Speaking of celeb sightings. Last night, in the tube, I saw a business suit-wearing guy go by me who was a carbon copy of Prince William. I don't suppose Prince William's doing a stint as a businessman right now, is he?

Yep. In my version of the story, he totally is. Cuz that was totally him. No, really. I swear.

One girl's rubbish is another's...well, I tried

Magnet #299 - UnDisney Snow White

So, on my first day, I think I might have walked all over hell and half of London. I:

- Saw Dublin and the London from the air.
- Arrived at BA's heralded (and much advertised) Terminal 5, but didn't see any marine life swimming around inside. And, no, I still don't get the ad, but the building's awesome.
- Had a full English brekkie at Tom's Kitchen, which was ok, I suppose.
- Visited the new Saatchi Gallery (more below)
- Saw Battersea Power Station, no longer in use, but was the Cybermen factory on Doctor Who
- Saw MI-6 headquarters, one of the 1001 Buildings to See Before You Die
- Popped into the Tate Britain
- Saw Thames House, MI-5's headquarters
- Saw the Buxton Memorial
- Saw Parliament
- Stood under Big Ben as he chimed 1pm.

And that was all before you guys went to work this morning. Then I:
- Got asked for directions by a cuteboy who looked like a grown-up Harry Potter
- Checked in to my hotel.
- Went to the Natural History Museum.
- Then the V&A.
- Then I bought boutique chocolate at Harrod's.
- Was underwelmed by the Trafalgar Christmas tree - sorry, Norway.
- Then Gordon's Wine Bar (which we immediately left, as it was totally a cuteboy afterwork crowd, and WAY too claustrophobic)
- Then dinner at Biagio's Piccolo Diavolo where I almost recreated my BA Cannelloni epiphany.
- Bought boutique chocolate at Fortnum & Mason.
- Saw BAFTA headquarters.
- Saw where Bela Bartok lived. Yes, I took piano.
- Got off of the bus at the wrong stop.
- Raided a Tesco Express for snacks.
- Hooked my internet, so that I can get some work done. And write this up.

So, the Saatchi Gallery for contemporary art was interesting - it's where I picked up today's magnet. They basically refurbished another old building, into a gallery. And while there was some interesting art - like in one room there were old guys (whom I thought were real at first) dressed up as world leaders (I think) and aimlessly wandering the room in automatic wheelchairs, or the Chinese artist who took historical images (like the one at Yalta), and inserted Mao into it (done really well).

But, today's most disturbing thing I've ever seen (besides seeing the Diana and Dodi memorial at Harrods) was this one piece called Angel. It was a VERY lifelike fallen man, facedown on the floor, dressed in a white robe AND WINGS. He had these (chicken-like) wings that were lightly feathered, and hanging askew. Ew. It was so scary. And, quite disturbing. Did I mention it was disturbing? Because it was. Disturbing.

And if it freaked me out, I just know that the child that was rounding the corner into that gallery was gonna end up having nightmares. Sheesh.

On the one hand, I know all good art makes you question, or can make you feel uncomfortable. Umm, yeah. Mission accomplished.

Toddling off for tea

Magnet #298 - Queen Elizabeth II (r. 1952-Present)

Elizabeth II is the reigning Head of State of the UK and like 15 other commonwealths. She's related to like every major royal family in Europe, descended from some of the greatest names in English history.

Think Madge'll have me over for tea?

Today's the start of my "Is there a Doctor in the House?" London trip. Since David's already made sure that no, there won't be a Doctor in the house, tea at Buckingham Palace would be a great back-up plan.

Wonder if they serve Sweet Iced Tea?