Mix Tapes and Tubes

This morning when I looked out my window and viewed the Dickens-esque snow scene in Weaver’s Fields as pictured below, I did not think about it’s beauty, or the inherent magic of snow, or even how it made me slightly homesick for Denver. Instead, my immediate thoughts turned to the status of London Transport, which will certainly be horrific cause de a few measly flakes of snow.

Has life in London made me this cynical?

The issue is that I basically plan my life around TFL. Whereas transportation was once summed up in one little word: car (and I could be anywhere I needed to be in a reasonable amount of time), I now require hours of notice and the use of busses, trains, tubes and trams to get anywhere.

Yes, this method of transport is environmentally friendly in comparison to my lovely Mazda back in Denver. However, it is also extremely difficult to get used to. If I ever move back to the States, you can bet I will stop begging our government for a more cohesive public transportation system– I’ll just buy a Prius to do my part.

Just kidding (kind of).

Public transportation has grown on me. There are many positives besides the lower environmental impact, including a very easy scapegoat for being late to EVERYTHING. I’ve also noticed that you really learn who the chivalrous amongst us are when you’re carrying heavy packages through the tube and only 1 in 38927498 people stop to ask if you need help. Hats off to these kind souls who give me hope in humanity. Finally, spending inordinate amounts of time in transit has given me time to go through the entire contents of my iPod for the first time…well, ever. I have thus been able to create a playlist of the top 20 best songs to listen to when people watching on London Public Transportation, in no particular order**.

Disclaimer: There is no accounting for taste.

1-Far and Wide: Roadside Graves
2- Once Around the Block: Badly Drawn Boy
3- Inside Out: Eve 6
4- Houdini: Foster the People
5-Dirty Water: K-os
6- Everlong: The Foo Fighters (yes, I know, I’m really a 20-year old Bro at heart…)
7- Witchitaitai: Brewer and Shipley
8- Action/Reaction: Choir of Young Believers
9- Trials of the Past: SBTRKT
10- Sleep the Clock Around: Belle and Sebastian
11- Sky Ghosts: Depreciation Guild
12- Possession: Sarah McLachlan
13- Venice Queen: Red Hot Chile Peppers
14- Edge of the Ocean: Ivy
15- We Looked Like Giants: Death Cab for Cutie
16- Zombie: The Cranberries
17- Cradle: The Joy Formidable
18- Down: Something Corporate
19- Fake Green Trees: Radiohead
20- Epistemology: M. Ward

**I am now in desperate need of recommendations for new music