"Together we are Giant"

            I stole the phrase “Together we are Giant” from the San Francisco Giants organization. It is a wonderful slogan that proves true in all aspects of life. First, with the Giants. My gosh, have you paid attention to this baseball team this year? Nothing simple about them; nothing easy about their year; nothing short of a miraculous post-season. I love the Giants because of their “wretched refuse” status, their heart, their calm under pressure, and their oddball-ness, all of which has been true about them for years. When they won the 2010 pennant, they were a bunch of long-haired weirdoes. One player wore a red thong for luck. The 2012 team is still weird. Awesome. They are a patchwork team that evolved throughout the year, with players coming and going, their wonder boy catcher (probably the MVP) having to take it easy because of a brutal injury that left him completely out of last season, and their best bat getting nailed for juicing. Big life lesson here: none of these stressors threw this team off course, a course that feels as if it has been guided by destiny, and the players surrendered to it with all the integrity that comes along with joy. This isn’t a big money team. Their batting averages kinda suck (except for Posey and Sandaval and postseason Scutaro). The team hits into an infuriating number of double plays. There have been games this season where they looked like a little league team. Painful. “Heart attack baseball” is what the enormous fan base has dubbed watching the Giants. You have to bear down and take what they give each game. Being a Giants’ fan provides so many great life lessons. And, if there is something great to be had, much of the time, you gotta sludge through some pain to get it. The Giants have been there and done that. They are the World Series Champions after sweeping the Detroit Tigers, but it was by no means a cake walk. The Giants were the underdogs; no one expected them to sweep, and, in fact, most people were amazed that they were able to win 6 straight do-or-die games in the playoffs. This success can all be attributed to the fact that together they really are GIANT. This team is better than the sum of its parts, and they are backed by the most supportive, loud, passionate group of fans I have ever been proud to be a part of. There is a beautiful physics at work here, one that is hard to define or deny, and it is reflective of how life in general works--miraculously. Here is a picture of Rob and me at a do-or-die playoff game in San Fran. We flew up for one day just for the chance to see ‘em maybe win. And they did.

            Together, we are all GIANT.

            That miracle feeling I experience around the Giants is also at work in other areas unfolding in front of me. One example is my friend Katharine, who was diagnosed with breast cancer, had a double mastectomy and is now undergoing chemo. Yes, it’s terrible…and, yet…she has risen to mythic status because of how she has faced all of it—with grace, wisdom, strength and acceptance. Everyone who knows her and sees her during this time comments on her amazing strength and beauty. She is giant because a large community of people have rallied around her, and she has accepted this love, this support of her. The community of people she worked with all dressed in pink for her on her day of surgery. I wasn’t there. I was abroad, but I did it, too, because I believe in the power of numbers. Here I am all pink for Katharine, making sure the love vibe was spread across at least two continents. The sun seemed to kiss the moment. 

            I show that picture and write about it here to make sure that vibe continues.

            Together, we are all GIANT.

            This is important to realize so that we choose which causes we rally around, which forces in our life we choose to join up with. “Together we are Giant,” means that a group of people joined together against or for anything can have power. So, this blog is not just about baseball or cancer; it is meant to get you thinking about what you are a part of, what you stand for, what ideas you add energy to and make giant. Together, we could really change shit or energize stuff…together we ARE giant, but we should decide to be conscious of what things we’d like to make giant out there. 

            Thank you to the San Francisco Giants organization for getting me thinking about this theme. And, GO GIANTS!

Re-entry

After a month abroad, one needs a period of adjustment. The re-entry experience began on the flight back where I took time to read the ARC (advanced reader copy) of my own book, OCD, THE DUDE, AND ME. Here I am:

I look like I am sleeping. No, my book did not put me to sleep! I am just super tired from having hauled an over-sized, overweight suitcase through the rain in London, down stairs in the tube station--pausing to frantically fling the thing open to find my deodorant and apply it publicly in the King's Cross/St. Pancras station because I thought maybe I forgot to apply deodorant and the recurring thought of smelling bad on the plane was too much for me to handle (OCD, me? No, I am sure I've just read a lot about it...where was I... oh yeah...)--lifting it on to three trains, and running to and fro with it so as to not miss the three aforementioned trains. MADNESS...so, yeah, I look a little beat up there. When not reading my book, I took more time to pause and think about things I would miss about London, and the barf bag on the plane rendered me wistful because of the charming humor. The magic of London is it can leave you smiling about barf. Their Chamber of Commerce or equivalent should use that for bumper stickers! (Btw, read the small print lines at the bottom of the bag.) I didn't actually use the bag; I just like to read anything with words on it that is in my vicinity.

When I got back to the United States, I ceremoniously changed that little flag in the upper right corner of my computer from the British one to the American one and was glad I had an evening of entertainment planned to fill up the hole that leaving London left. (Lovely alliteration) I went to see my friend Stefan Marks's solo show.

There is Stefan, singing beautiful songs and reading childhood journal entries and love letters he received in junior high. Apparently, Stefan was THE catch back then; not much has changed--you're welcome, Stefan. So, his solo show was sublime...even though it wasn't solo:

Look at those guys: The Four Postmen. Even though there are just three of them. Well, really, there are five of them. They are soulful and talented and their music heals with laughter and substance; it was just what I needed to feel grounded and ready to re-enter life in LA. Also, thank goodness I know Matt, so I knew where to turn for a good traffic school (besttrafficschool.com) because I got the biggest 1984-Big Brother-is-watching-me ticket, which was hardly my fault, but I am trying to abide, so I just paid the thing and started buying canned food because my bank account was dramatically drained. (More effective alliteration) Do not ask me about this ticket. Any of you. I have vowed to no longer discuss it because I have obsessed about it too long, was filled with self-loathing, and made a deal with God that I would keep quiet about it and abide it as long as She saw fit to make sure my presidential candidate got elected. (Note to God: I am not "discussing" the ticket; I haven't opened my mouth about it since I made that deal. This is called "blogging," which does not resemble a "discussion": it is way more one-sided, self-absorb and incapable of listening. I know You, of all beings, understand the nuances and rules of my deal makings. You made me this way.)

Lie back and think of England

As much as I am ready to go back to my LA life, I still don't really want to leave England. However, because I've had such a wonderful time, when I need to, I can lie back and think of England and all the quirky, fun, ingenious, beautiful, historical, unique things about this place that I have tucked away in my memory. Thanks to modern technology, I can post pictures of some of those things here. Feel free to use these images and "lie back and think of England" any time you need to.
          To start, there are the tube stations. This one is very well known as it was used in Harry Potter and it is near where I was staying. Bye-bye King's Cross/St. Pancras station. (Not St. Pancreas, but I called it that anyway.)

I will also miss how sanely sized their warm beverages are here. You don't see the Londish walking about with Venti quadruple shot lattes. I took a picture of my Americano next to my nearly finished glass of Rose so you can see the size of the cups. (Btw, Rose is the wine of sophisticates here. And, it tastes yummy; I'll be looking for some good, dry French Rose when I return to LA tomorrow.)

Also to be missed will be the general sanity of society here. One example: Every few blocks, there are bikes that can be rented, self-service, for very cheap. Rent a bike at one location and return it to another depot--they are everywhere so you needn't fear. Can you imagine something like this in LA? I didn't see tagging or any form of abuse on one single bike in any of the the bike depots I passed daily. Very civil, indeed.

I will also truly miss the commitment to and care for dog poo here. The English love their dogs and love their doggy walks, but they will not tolerate poo on the sidewalk or in their parks. They encourage snitching on poo offenders. Read the small print at the bottom:

I love their shops and pubs and their titles. I don't think any commentary is required here:

The ads in the tube are charming and enlightened:

Okay, so admittedly, I am not a fan of the foxes. They creep around at night, and I was way too afraid to get up close to one and snap a picture. I even screamed as I walked by this stuffed one at a market:

This may seem a little strange, but I will really miss the doors here. They are all so cared for, so welcoming that it made me love the people behind each of the charming doors I saw even though I never met them. Don't you want to knock on this door and have tea with the people inside?

And finally and most profoundly, I will miss the friends I came to love over this extraordinary month. Here are just two of them:

Even though I started this blog because I was an American, a broad...going abroad, I am going to continue it when I get home because I've been broadened (not literally; although, that is very easy to do in England because there are many yummy treats here). I've been expanded soulfully and psychologically, so I think I will have more to write about in the days to come. Stay tuned. Thanks to all who read my adventure and came along in spirit. XOXO

Abbey Something

Here I am at the most iconic street crossing ever. It was way cool and also life threatening. The Abbey Road intersection is incredibly busy, and you have to just throw yourself out on to the street and hope drivers have the compassion to not run you over. Tons of people every day of the year do this because of that album cover; that's why I risked my life here. I am sure one day a local driver who is late for work is going to get fed up with Beatlemania and plow through a tourist.

Here is Abbey Road Studio and a piece of the wall outside that is covered with signatures and tributes. All you need is love! And there is so much Beatles love. I met people from four countries in front of this studio. Well before the internet, the Fab Four were bringing the world together, and they still do today.

And now for another Abbey...

I went inside Westminster Abbey yesterday and took the full tour with the talking headset. The voice of Jeremy Irons guided me through all the hot spots. What an Abbey this place is! There are so many kings and queens and writers and religious people buried there that you can't help but feel your mortality and your smallness, which I think is important to feel on occasion. It is no surprise that my favorite section is the writers' corner. People like Chaucer and Auden are buried there. I saw a bust on the wall of Jane Austen and must look up if she is buried there, too. I imagine she is. Shakespeare has a terrific monument; although, his remains are actually buried in Stratford upon Avon. However, beneath his monument in the Abbey are the gravestones of Laurence Olivier and his wife. Nice. You can't take pictures in the Abbey. I would have loved to show parts of the tour, but all I can show you is the lunch I ate in the Abbey cafe.

Beautiful plates, yummy salads. And speaking of appetites...I have seen several people reading 50 Shades of Gray on the tube. Here is one woman; I hid her face as not to shame her because of her attraction to...ahem... abbey-normal bedroom behavior. To each her own.

And speaking of to each her own...here is the best bus advert EVER. I want the buses in LA to carry this signage:

That sign says it all! It is the argument we should all start using in the face of sexual bigotry. "Some people are gay. Get over it." 'Nuff said.
          And now, I would like to take a moment to air my own abbey-normal behavior:  God, I love shoes. (The way some people love the Beatles and the way some people love religion.) I saw a woman in these shoes on the tube, and now I can't stop thinking about them. I really want them. I hope I can find them when I am back in LA. There seems to be a holy glow around them in the picture, as if God is sending me a message: "Buy these shoes, Lauren, even if they cost a fortune-they were meant for you, and you will be so happy in them." Yes, I am sure that is what God is saying to me, and He and I are really tight after that tour of the Abbey. He wants what's best for me.