Tate Britain

It wasn't drizzling today! See in London, that's the sign of a good day. Most days I wake up to a gray sky and an ubiquitous chilly mist. In New York, you're happy when it's sunny, but in London, your standards are much lower; you're happy as long as it's not drizzling. It can be cold, overcast, earthquaking, but as long as it's not drizzly, consider yourself lucky.

Anyway, seizing this once-in-a-week phenomenon, I went to Tate Britain, apparently one of the best collections of historical and contemporary British art. I woke up at 10:00, and no one seemed to be awake, so I decided to enjoy the excursion alone.

The historical art was excellent, with an extensive exhibit on J.M.W Turner along with noteworthy pieces by William Hogarth and John Everett Millais. I'm sure the others were good too, but they weren't worth remembering (just kidding!). The contemporary art was eh; I'm not a big fan of it anyway, and it didn't do much to convince me otherwise.

The museum didn't allow pictures so the only shot I got was the exterior. Although I think the sign at the top ("Everything is going to be alright") is awesome, especially juxtaposed with the elaborate architecture.

I hate the people who are so steeped in their life goal - whether it be art, finance, fashion, whatever - that they can't step back and take themselves less seriously, even for a minute. I'm sure the director of the Tate has devoted his whole life to studying art and to obtaining that prestigious position, but he still felt comfortable "dirtying" (as I'm sure some art connoisseurs would say) the museum with that sign. Nonetheless, it's awesome. It's similar to the time on the Daily Show when Tim Gunn of Project Runway said something to the effect of "Fashion is my life, but for some people, it's nothing more than putting clothes on your back every morning, and I understand that." Unless you're the President or the prime minister (I suppose I'm in the UK now), the world will be fine without you and your mediocre accomplishments. I hate the people who don't realize that lesson. Sorry for the rant. It came out of nowhere; as hard as it may be to believe, I'm in a pretty good mood right now lol.

Anyway, let me end with today's highlight, or actually low point. I was talking to the tour guide at the Tate before her tour, and I told her I was from New Jersey. In response, she did her best New York accent, scrunching her entire face to pronounce "coffee". Granted when I try a British accent, people say it sounds half-Jamaican so I shouldn't be talking, but then she proceeded to ask if everyone in New Jersey is like the Sopranos. I immediately said "No" before the tour started. However, as we started walking, I realized that people from other states think NJ is as stupid and vain as the Jersey Shore characters while people outside the States think it's as swaggering and lawless as Tony Soprano. At this point, McGreevey makes our state look good.