London calling

Okay, so it's not so original.

I'm in the UK right now, visiting friends and family. More on that later.

The differences between North Americans and Brits are pretty significant, I'm finding. In particular the guys - there's enough machismo out here for three island-countries! I've only been here a week and yet I'm getting a little fed up with the posturing, the ignorance, and the relatively blatant homophobia that swirls around about as much as the ever-present cigarette smoke....

Now that said, I may in fact be coming from a biased perspective. I have yet to meet anyone actively involved in the arts, and who's to say there's not a kinder, gentler, more reasonable group of Londoners out there? It just strikes me that this old country is having a hard time letting go of old ways of thinking. I'll provide some examples another time, but I've been taking notes in the hopes that I can articulate what it is that irks me each time I'm here.

I suppose I should also say that I'm having a good time here on the whole, little qualms aside there is something amazing about the history of this place - it's very alluring. I walked on floors built while my country was nothing more than a disputed colony, I've touched metal that pre-dated Shakespeare. These things are somehow very attractive to me, and I'm not sure why.

More details to come...