Month: December 2006

Happy New Year from Nighy York

thegirlinthecafe 7 Comments

The Vertical Hour
The city here is crazy at the moment, 42nd Street / Times Square (I had to go back there after the play to get the subway), it is the street with the coolest name, that’s for sure, is at this moment also the most busiest street in New York. Already nearly completely closed down for trafiic for this evenings New Year’s celebrations, I have never seen this much police on the streets in my life. The NY policemen are very nice though, nice and helpful. I understand now why they couldn’t have an evening performance in the Music Box, we would never ever have gotten out of the theatre. There are hundreds of thousands of people on the street, and they were already there when I went to the theatre at 13.30. It is cold outside in New York, so it has been a long wait for them. I hope they enjoy their evening, I think I prefer to watch it on tv in stead.

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In a New York minute, everything will change

thegirlinthecafe 3 Comments

I know it’s pathetic to write “not sure I will be writing before the end of the year bla bla bla” just to show up the next day again. I found a cheap internetcafe at last and I mostly had to check if I hadn’t written anything completely ridiculous yesterday, as I was quite a bit out of my mind, and flying very, very high. I still am, but I like to think that my head is a little bit more clearly now. Every 5 minutes I need to check if I haven’t dreamt it all though. Not pathetic at all, I know.
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New York, New York

thegirlinthecafe 2 Comments

Well I am alive and well, and I am in New York!
It is an overwhelming city, with very very few internet cafe’s, took me until now to find this one, and they are very expensive. So – dear readers, I am afraid that that means that updates here will be more or less postponed until I am back in London.

A few quickies though:
My body seems to want to wake up at 5am in the middle of the night since I am here, shouting “Come on yoohoo let’s stand up” and then my head answers “don’t be ridiculous, it is the middle of the night it is dark, get back to sleep”. I don’t know if that is a reversed jetlag or just the nerves for the play, which is in about 4.5 hours from now. I already checked the route to The Music Box Theatre, so I know where it is. And I am extremely exited to finally watch it.

My hotel had a stack of Vertical Hour flyers in stock, so Bill is all around. Times Square is intimidating, New York cabdrivers have to be the most rude ones in the world, the subway is a bit more of a challenge to find your way in than in London, the Empire State Building is huge (not sure I dare to go in there though, I am afraid of heights and it intimidates me too much), I saw Blood Diamonds which is an incredible film with Leonardo DiCaprio, and I have already nearly written a whole notebook full of ramblings. And I have only been here for a day.

But fear not : New York is a cool city to be, but London is the place for me. Now we just want our Englishman back.

I greet you from the Big Apple.

My mind’s made up The way that I feel

thegirlinthecafe 3 Comments

Merry Christmas!

“Ingrid …”
“Davy …., wow, how is New York? I look so much forward to see you again.”
“New York is fantastic, you are going to love it, trust me. And I had a great sailing trip, I’ll tell you all about it when you get here.”
“I can’t wait… I …”
“But as your editor …”
“Ehrm yes ?”
“I know you don’t really do Christmas, but for your readers …”
“What?”
“You need to wish them a Merry Christmas.”
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Come on and let it snow

thegirlinthecafe 4 Comments

The Girl On The Map

After nearly a year with this project, I decided to put the girl on the map. This is just a screenshot, for a zoomable and scrollable map go to the Where is the girl now page.

Not in my wildest dreams could I have dreamed of such a large geographical area being covered by this DVD. It’s one of my best Christmas presents. And people are still signing up, the last location being Lancaster in the UK. You’re very welcome to join if you like.

Thanks to all of you who are participating.

The fog seems to clear up on Monday, according to the BBC. That’s another great Christmas present. The third one is already in New York.

It’s everywhere I go

thegirlinthecafe 8 Comments

Travel book girl
The Girl on my travel guide

Today the girl learned something about London. Just in time …

You live in London right?
Yeah.
Big city.
Huge city!
So how do you plan to get to Heathrow on Monday?
Oh, easy, tube! Piccadilly Line has a direct connection to Heathrow airport, so smart this tube!
Yes, but it’s Christmas day on Monday.
I know, what’s your point?
No tubes on the 25th.
Ha, ha, this is London we are talking about. You don’t really think I am going to believe that.

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It’s written in the wind

thegirlinthecafe 4 Comments

The cards on tour

I stepped in to order something to eat, stood in front of him, trying to find the words as he makes me nervous since he started talking, and I remembered that I had no money. I had spent my last cash on stamps.

I just licked at a lot of them, and they taste nasty, but they are put on the envelopes. Airmail labels are put on them and I just personally delivered them in the mailbox. If you happen to be in South Croydon, you can hear them. Twenty giggling and exited girls together in a red mailbox, eager to go travelling.

I would love to hear if they have arrived safely in a comment here. And take good care of them when they do, they giggle a lot, but they are good company.

When they will arrive?
I have no idea.

It’s written in the wind.

Christmas is all around me

thegirlinthecafe 2 Comments

Eddy the GoatAnd so I bought a goat.

Say hello to Eddy.

While the mind is occupied with New York and the like, it doesn’t mean we can’t think about other people a bit. I like to think that that’s what Christmas is all about.

So I bought Eddy. And Eddy is probably going to Uganda, or Zimbabwe, some place where she is needed, and where she hopefully will breed and get a big family.

I like that. Eddy is going to Make Poverty History. For a few people at least.

A visit

thegirlinthecafe 1 Comment

Slarti lands in the middle of London

“Now do me a favour” I said to him “and try to land a place where it is a bit quiet. We don’t want too much attention”.

A few minutes later he called me.
“I’m here!”
“Where are you?”
“Oh, I just check, it’s a place called Leicester Square”.
“Right, you call that quiet? That’s in the heart of London!”
“Well people won’t notice me. ”
“What? That’s a major space ship you landed there!”
“It’s invisible!”
“I can see it!”
“Only you can see it, don’t worry”.
“My camera can see it too …”
“Yeah, I added some extra features to D(2) while they were upgrading it”.
“Oh wow, I don’t know what to say. I, erhm, I missed you”.

I love my D(2) we understand each other better for every day we’re together, I love spaceships, and I always love it when he comes over for a visit.

(Here is a slightly larger version of this picture)