Animals!!

So many new pictures - in the meantime we are in New York and I was overstrained by the challenge of choosing the coolest pictures for posting here!

So I'm doing themes now:

ANIMALS

that we've encountered while travelling

Shakespeare, Jay's roommate's massive cat in New York. (Jay was our host there for the 1st night)

the other cat, even more massive... but I've proofed it... it is not fat, has just a lot of fur. (2 days later it got shaved by the way...a "lion cut" - too bad I couldn't see it any more)

a little snack while visiting Alize in San Diego

Jays other cat - joined us while we were sleeping

Henry, cuuuute baby cat, playing with the string of my camera while I'm taking the picture :)

film studios en masse

In the meantime, since yesterday, we're already in San Diego, but here are some more LA pictures! Michi and I were having 9 great days there!!

a typical American car. LOL.

Michi and I with Davide (quote: "All Maroccans are dickheads."), the Italian roommate of our second couchsurfing host. (John) Both very nice guys. (This should not be a contradiction)

Another quiz of the day: What is that? A 3D-picture?
The answer: film reels. But where? On the walls and ceilings of the Subway-station "Hollywood/Vine" Alles tapeziert mit tausenden dieser Rollen, unglaublich!

Finally we've found it! The Paramount Studios! Michi's official screening shot :D

Viki on her way to work!

Michi in front of the original Charlie Chaplin (now Jim Henson) studios!

Downtown LA: The Walt Disney Concert Hall

After a visit to "Little Tokyo" ... the modest "Skyline" of the downtown (more a ghost city as everything is so decentralized) in the background.

HOLLYWOOD

Yes, we finally made it to HOLLYWOOD! And we have tons of new pictures... here some of them. The one above is already one of my favourites.... LOL!



In front of the Grauman's Chinese theater looking at famous hand- and footprints!


And walking on the walk of fame!


Jack Lemmon's hand was not bigger than MINE!


I just LOVE wigs. It's just thanks to Michi, that I didn't buy any or anything else of that crazy costume stuff that was sold everywhere--- because he just didn't let me go into any pf those shops! Hrmpf!

Now it's Michi's shooting! Or better: his favourite shots and spots!


He was very excited about this star :)


And also about that.


That's very classic :) And classy :D

And there are also a lot of funny or "typical" signs... this one was in front of the Broxton Garage, the parking for the Mann's Village Cinema in Westwood, where many movie premieres take place:


And - for the 1st time since Christmas in Vienna I used a subway. The station greetet us with this friendly sign:


We had fun anyway!

LA - pictures!

The first LA - pictures

we had an amazing view during the flight:

Michi and I visiting the Westwood Village Cemetery:

and then: Beverly Hills!

...and of course plastic surgery clinics en mass!


signs like this are in front of every house!

There are many more pictures (and more exciting ones) but the computer here is terribly slow..so later :)

The travelling has started

Yesterday, May 11, Michi and I left Bloomington.
Our first destination is: Los Angeles!

For the first 2 nights we can stay with Thuy from Vietnam in her nice appartment in Westwood!
We've already seen the nostalgic looking Mann's village Cinema where many film premieres take place. Today we got up surprisingly early (3 hours time-difference) and as the weather is cloudy and not so warm, we'll probably visit the Cemetery where Marilyn Monroe is buried and go to Beverly Hills.
Tomorrow we plan to go to Santa Monica to the beach!!

More soon. Pictures and video are in the making :)

Michi/Mike und/and Waffen/weapons!

Michi ist da!
Mike is here!

Gemeinsames Frühstück in meinem Appartement nach dem 1. amerikanischen Einkaufen bei Kroger -
Michi findet: "Die Bananen haben so einen gewissen typischen Bananengeschmack, den er eigentlich nur von trockenen Bananen kennt, oder Bananenaroma und in Österreich ist der Geschmack nicht so stark, aber das kann auch an der Marke liegen, oder daran, dass wir dort nur die allerbilligsten kaufen."

Breakfast with Michi at my apartment, after our first Kroger shopping - together.
Mike thinks: "The bananas have a very distinct taste here, that I just used to know from dried bananas, or from banana - aroma. And in Austria their taste is less strong, but that can be because of a different brand, or because we always just buy the cheapest ones."


Michi präsentiert die "Grade A - Vitamin D Milk": "Ja - äh - nicht so schmackhaft wie in Österreich, aber trotzdem für die Cornflakes passend. Und für das braune Wasser, das sich Kaffee schimpft auch. Es schmeckt mir aber trotzdem!"
Mike presents the "Grade A - Vitamin D Milk": "Yes - um - not as tasty as in Austria, but still goes together quite well with Cornflakes. And also with the brown water that calls itself coffee. But I like it anyway!"


Michi und ich posieren vor der Musikuni.
Mike and me posing in front of the music school.



His name is Car. Michael Car! Or: Michi playing with my TKD teacher's gun.



Mr. T***** presenting his Riffle. Just to make clear: He just showed us his gun collection because of the Chinese Mafia's special request.
Oh, and to make clear again: The "Chinese Mafia" is a group of four very harmless Chinese girls that had also attended his TKD class and were just nick-named like that. And Mr. T****** didn't just collect those weapons for fun or as toys, but he used them when he was a police officer/security guard. Now he still has a sheriff - status. But he is a really great guy and he also has his soft sides:


another gun - shot:

Newsletter

I just found out that I am mentioned in "Fanfare", the newsletter of the IU Jacobs School of Music:

http://www.music.indiana.edu/publicity/fanfare/2008/2008.04.04/news.shtml

Fake - Graduation

Graduation day!

May 2nd 2008 - the day, Viki got her Masters degree in Voice performance from Indiana University.
Ok ok, just kidding! I have to admit, it's not me who is officially graduating here... but how nice to have good friends like Valeska, who are willing to lend you their graduation - gown/hood/hat for some pictures! I mean, this is not even the Bachelor's, but the Master - outfit! (Wenn schon, denn schon! And yes - they look different in a way (that we don't know yet, but we will find out at the ceremony tomorrow))
Here again Viki in front of the "Sample gates", the oldest part and symbolic entrance to the campus - and: the place where people have kept taking graduation pictures already for the last 3 days... (or longer) Don't I look convincingly proud of the success that I have never achieved? I' m sure, that even the woman who's passing behind gives me an admiring look full of respect and envy! And see the pink tassel - that's the special colour for the Music - graduates! Every department has it's own colour and Business students, for example, get a golden one! Hm, does this show that arts don't really need to be taken as serious?

And here's Valeska, the generous donor of the precious outfit (she had to rent (not buy!) it for 80$ and can just keep the hat and the awesome pink tassel). She's the one who really deserves to be on a picture like that: (even if she looks a little not yet convinced of that)

(the tassel is missing here by the way because this was the first picture and we didn't know how to fix it on the hat - even though the whole thing came with an instruction sheet!)
So.... I will come home without any degree from IU, BUT great pictures.
And hopefully I will get my boring, unspectacular Bachelor without any fancy gown next year in Vienna :)