So unless the gods fail me in a major way (it’s been known to happen), I’m off to London this Friday. I don’t think I’ve ever needed a holiday more. I fully intend on doing some traveling outside the city, as well as within it, and there are people and places on my agenda.
The other part of my agenda is “chilling the fuck out.” I wish I could put it in a nicer way, but I can’t.
With that in mind, this Monday Music edition must start off with the new Tori Amos single – a song about not forgetting who the hell you are when you’re living in a place that’s utterly Not Home (and for me, that place is Jordan): “You better bring your own sun, sweet girl.”
“Welcome to England” – Tori Amos
“The Little Things” – Danny Elfman
“Fade Into You” – Mazzy Star
“Run” – Collective Soul
“The German Lesson” – Soft Machine
“Haiti” – Arcade Fire
“Just My Imagination” – the Cranberries
“Wheel of Fortune” – Kay Starr
“When You Talk” – the Twelves
“Lifelines” – a-ha
As you may be able to tell, the rest of these are oddly appropriate as well.
Here is the amazing Kay Starr, doing “Wheel of Fortune” live:
Here is an older song from Tori Amos – “Northern Lad” – a song that has never haunted me before, until recently, now that I am ripe for the haunting:
And, because I don’t want to end this on a down-note, here’s a completely hot, gratuitous, and not-entirely-safe-for-work fan video of James McAvoy, with music by the lovely Kings of Leon. McAvoy’s future wife is an at least one of these scenes so that, uh, makes it all OK:
Enjoy.
Natalia A. 
Enjoy London. I’m heading over there for a week this summer. It’ll be my first time there.
Does chillin’ out mean less writing or more? I usually end up writing better under relaxing conditions (i.e. having no one near me for hours, the phone off and no responsibilities for the day), though that also leads me to procrastinate my writing, too. It depends on the day, really.
On second thought, enjoy London and don’t write a word. Just enjoy a good spot of tea and forget your usual world exists.
Ohhh I love London. It destroys my wallet, but whatever. Soon I’ll be old and proper, and no longer able to slum with people anyway.
I normally write quite a bit while on holiday, but I think I won’t this time around. Writing is what keeps me on a (relatively) even keel in Jordan, and so I save all of it for the long afternoons here.