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god save the queen Once again I seem to be lagging with the entries and I can't think of a very good excuse either. It isn't as though I've been horribly busy. I just seem to be in a mental freefall most of the time. Somehow in the span of two days I've managed to regress to a very primal level of existence. Talking and or thinking have sunk to the bottom of my list of things to do falling somewhere behind eating and sleeping. In fact I didn't speak with one person all day until I went to work, but for being a Tuesday that isn't very unusual for me. ... Lately I've been falling way behind in keeping up with pop culture, but I finally got around to seeing Galaxyquest and I have to admit that it made me laugh. Tim Allen has never ranked very high with me, but I was curious to see Sigourney Weaver do something comedic for a change. Allen with his Shatner persona was good and so was Weaver with her mild send up of Ripley, but neither of them was what made me laugh the most though. It was Tony Shalhoub who really did it for me with his flawless deadpan reactions. The man looked positively stoned through most of the movie. I almost miss his cancelled series, Stark Raving Mad, that he had with Neil Patrick Harris. ... Even though I picked up a couple more Europe guidebook from the library yesterday, I've taken a break from them. Instead of reading about where I am going I have been trying to think of why I am going. So far my main reason for going is because I can and it makes sense to me. Until fairly recently a large percentage of Americans had a European heritage and this is true for me. Even though one of my grandfathers came from the Philippines, the rest of my family tree has its roots somewhere in Europe. Without a doubt I am a classic mongrel or melting pot child. I don't have to dig very deep to claim rights to a British and Irish background at the same time. I can also claim German and Hungarian roots. What I don't have mingled in me is Scandinavian or Italian blood. Nor can I claim any Native American blood. ... I won't have enough time to see Scotland and Wales on my upcoming trip, but I am definitely looking forward to seeing England. Something about the British makes sense to me. Maybe I've bought into the whole stiff upper lip image far too much, but I can't help but love watching a film like The Bridge on the River Kwai. These people live for order and protocol no matter how insane it might make them look. Here is a country that has produced people like T. E. Lawrence and Winston Churchill and I can't think of any American counterparts for them. We may have had a few great modern leaders, but we never had men like them. These are a people who ruled the world from an island and not many other countries can make that claim. I suppose that being an American I should be appalled at what they did to other countries, but part of me really admires what they accomplished. They not only gave birth to this country, but a large number of countries owe their start to them as well. It may not have always been the kindest of beginnings, but they certainly left their mark wherever they went. So far I've only mentioned military or political people, but that certainly doesn't mean that they are a nation lacking in the humanities. In my opinion without England the history of literature would be much much smaller. The line of great writers stretches from Shakespeare to Charles Dickens with many others between and after them. They knew how to make the English language truly come to life. Putting aside historical figures, I can't think of what our current state of music would have been without The Beatles. They may have drawn from us, but America could never have made those four. Along with them came The Rolling Stones and The Who. Then a decade later came the punk movement with the Sex Pistols and The Clash, while here in America we had disco. A decade later we were blessed with bands like New Order and The Smiths. Even today America still feeds off of the English music scene to a small degree. Many people think that the time of England has come and gone and all that is left now is a bunch of repressed old men in sweaters and a queen who wears nasty hats, but I still think that the country has style and dignity which is something that America often lacks in its persona. Maybe I am wrong, but I certainly hope that there is more to England than Mr. Bean and endless reruns of Monty Python. On the other hand I wouldn't mind running into a young Mrs. Emma Peel or the good Doctor and his Tardis. Sigh. Now that I read over what I just wrote, it sounds like I am gushing, but for me England has a very strong appeal. Here is a country with centuries of history filled with talented people and great events. I want to experience just a small part of that if I can while I am there. As for what I definitely want to see, I would have to say that Westminster Abbey and Abbey Road would be at the top of the list. I like that mixing of the historical with the close to modern elements of England. I could probably do without the double decker buses and Big Ben, but we will see what happens when I get there in less than a month.
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