Blogsville, · UK

I'm not gone yet! This will be my final post in this blog though. I hope everyone enjoyed readin' all about my life some percentage as much as I enjoyed living it. I've been back on this continent for just over two weeks now and I'm not much happier to be back than I was when I got off the plane, bawling my eyes out the whole three hour ride back to my hometown. I was warned about reverse culture shock and it's hit me quite hard. It's like when you get a new boyfriend who's basically perfect and you already knew the things you didn't like about your ex but now you realize the huge extent of their flaws. I've never really loved America all that much and after living in the place I've wanted to live my entire life, I'm really not happy to be here and most of my thinking just goes into when I'll next be in the UK. Whatever. I'm depressed, but still excited about a lot going on in my life here, so all's well that ends well. If only I could shut up about those last three months.

In the meantime, I made up this whole fun thing for you to look at! All my London/England favourites! Fun fun stuff!

( FAVOURITES FAVOURITES! LONDON LONDON! )



So this is my big send-off. So long, readers. I may be starting a regular, boring ol' blog like I had before this one. But, you know, more interesting than my old one, because, uhh, I'm more interesting these days. I swear!

So, uhh.

BYE!

I leave England today. In about thirteen and a half hours, I will be on my way back to the States. I don't want to talk about it. I know, it's kind of Blog Sin to refuse to talk about something, but there's way too much to say at this point and I've been pushing it all til now and now...Sigh. I will have hours upon hours upon hours of schoolwork to do when I get back. That will keep me busy.

My last day? I slept in, took my last Pickwick shower [yess!], went to Piccadilly Circus with my video camera and walked to the National Portrait Gallery, did that bit, continued to walk, DVC in hand to Leicester Square. Then hopped the Tube to Holloway Road to go eat at the trendy pub the Holloways met at [Nambucca] but it was most certainly all closed up so I continued to walk, aching legs and fainty self, to Archway station which then took me back to Camden Town. Here, I went to this pub I've been wanting to go to since the start - The World's End Pub right outside CT tube station - Real trendy, big, punk rockers, all sorts of characters, but nuttin' dodgy. And I had the BEST, cheesiest ham and cheese toasties ever with some really amazing chips. And there was no Strongbow on tap so I tried a new cider! - Blackthorne - More bitter, kind of tasted like a mix of wine and cider. Not bad. Great meal. Headed back, got down to business with the packing. We had our closing banquet right down the street and it was pretty good - I mean I had roast lamb and potatoes, I am not complaining! The last couple things I wanted before I left were pub chips and lamb, and I got it. I was adventurous and tried the Christmas pudding for dessert and...not my taste, as I figured would happen, but glad I tried it. We popped our Christmas crackers, put on our paper crowns, and passed around the plate of mince pies. The crust on those things were one of the best things I've ever tasted - Yum! But I didn't like the inside, meh. After that, Caitlin and I had our final hurrah at my favourite spot in London - The South Bank. Took the bus to Waterloo Bridge, visited the NT again, looked out over the Thames...

I'm basically all packed and, as long as the scale I've borrowed isn't lying, I should be good underweight. I just have to slip the remainder in my backpack and I'm good to go. The room looks weird all cleaned out - Nothing on the shelf, no posters, nothing on my desk, no LFC fleece on my bed...Just the view from the balcony remains.

There will be at least another follow-up entry after this but...Wow, this is awkward. I don't know how to say this. My last entry in the UK. It's been a great three months chilling in this room, listening to drunkies on the street and buses whistling by, typing away here instead of essays.

Farewell, my beloved, absolutely beloved, England.

Drink with me
To days gone by
Sing with me
The songs we knew...
Here's to them-
And here's to you.



But.
"Tonight, this city's mine."

Yeah. Exactly two days from now, I'll be on my way to Heathrow, ready to hop on a plane back to the States. Well, not ready. I'll never be ready. I ache at the thought. I'm really not okay with this whole leaving England thing. Everyone keeps saying, "Yeah, I know, it's bittersweet," but if they think that, for me, it is "bittersweet" then they obviously don't know, because there is nothing sweet at all about leaving the place I love, where I belong. Sigh.

Well, since it's my second to last entry in the UK, what will I do? Sum up the last week of course! I've been pretty busy and pretty apathetic about everything since the "last week" thing hit me pretty hard.

Friday last: We saw "August: Osage County" at my beloved National Theatre. It was a hit. It's an American ensemble and they've been touring for about a year, I believe. They've won a whole bunch of Tonys for it and I could see why. It was really an exciting piece, written, directed, and acted by the company. I'd say the woman playing the mother was the most incredible - It's hard to find acting that great. Lately, I feel like we've seen a lot of shows where I saw actors acting and not a piece of life. Really exciting? The man playing the "bad guy," Steve, was Mike Brady from "The Brady Bunch Movie" and bad guy Dexter Larson in an episode of "Monk" and the voice of Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law and Cameron Lutz this season on "Psych" and of course BILL LUMBERGH in "Office Space"!! Yes, um, yes, I did in fact see Gary Cole in a play. Okay. Also, 3 hours and 20 minutes didn't seem like 3 hours and twenty minutes, which is always exciting.

Saturday: I went to the Museum of London and the Tate Modern. Museum of London was small because it's under renovations. The medieval section and the section about the great fire were interesting but I honestly wipped right through the Roman parts because I have been filled to the brim with the Romans over the past three months. I guess that's why they tell you to go at the beginning of the program. The Tate Modern was neat - I love modern art - But I wasn't in the mood. Luckily, we're going back there for Modern Drama today. My favourite part by far was the Roy Lichtenstein section - He's one of my favourite artists.

Sunday: I went to the Imperial War Museum and got in a fight with a bottle of lemonade. Seriously though, one of my all-time favourite museums. WWI is one of my very favourite subjects in history - Or to put it in a less weird way, I am really really interested in WWI. So I spent a good almost two hours just in the WWI section. They had this section where you go through a door and it's made to be as accurately like one of the trenches as they could - It smelled like a barn [which I liked] and it was cold and dark and TERRIFYING. My heart was racing. I mean, I was in there by myself. So scary, but so cool. I spent some time in the Holocaust section too, but one thing I kept noticing, which was a little disheartening since I tend to be an idealist and like to imagine Britain loves us, was that they mention the US in a positive light as few times as they could manage. I mean, when you hear about WWI in the States, it's all about how we were called "the doughboys" and how we came in and saved the day. I saw them mention a couple times how the US came into the war late and soon after, it ended, which made it sound more like "Well, the US didn't want to help until a U-Boat killed a bunch of their citizens and then they finally stopped being toolbags and came to help, but by then we were almost done anyway." You know, England? I love you more than I love my own country. But give us some credit, guys.

Oh yeah, that night was Aprile and Amy's last nights visiting so a handful of us went to the Ultimate Burger. It was, in fact, ultimate. Great burger, best chili fries ever.

Monday: Scott and Richard came to visit! The guys I met at the Holloways show back in November were finally able to make it into the city and it made me so very very happy to see them. We were supposed to go to this free Holloways gig in Farringdon, but it was postponed. Yeah. But we had a blast. Whatever. I had to leave them at like freaking 6:45 to go see yet another really bad play at the Almeida. "In a Dark Dark House." Boring. Bad acting. Really bad American accents. 'Nuff said.

Tuesday: We went to the Francis Bacon exhibit at the Tate Britain. It was really cool. I like Bacon - He had a really interesting outlook on everything and used some of my favourite artists including van Gogh and T.S. Eliot as inspiration. His art is definitely effective. Directing class was at the National Gallery and it was a lot of fun. We studied paintings as stage pictures and it was one of the very best classes yet. I learned stuff! And we sat and had hot beverages and chatted for quite a while afterwards. That night, we saw "Edward Scissorhands: THE BALLET" at Sadlers Wells. Fantastic! I mean, I'm never a big ballet and especially with a story I know and like, I usually will be like "Okay, now, where are the words??" but I was engaged and the guy playing Edward was not only gorgeous but had the character down SO well. Absolutely adorable.

Wednesday: We went to Windsor! It was a cute lil town and Windsor Castle was GORGEOUS! I wasn't impressed by the giant doll house [I'm terrified of dolls, it's a known fact, and someone had just kicked me, with shin splints, in my shins, and I was officially pwned]. But I was impressed by just the extent of the exterior and the beauty of it. The State Apartments were beautiful, especially the views from all the windows. Funny moment: There was a suit of Henry VIII's armor, from later in life once he'd put on weight, and I was glad Casey was with me because we heard a Spanish woman say something to her daughter and Casey started laughing and translated for me what she'd said which was something along the lines of "That armor is really big because a really fat man has to fit in it." Noice, lady, noice. We went and had a pretty durn good lunch at this Irish Pub in town. Burger, chips, and a Strongbow - I'll never tire of it. I walked to the train lightheaded as a drunk and I konked out the whole ride back. Smooth.

Most people went to see "Wicked" that night. It was a free night. I said "No No No" as that is the one show I refuse to ever see. Instead, Casey and I had a fun night in, invented a new word, and konked out early.

Thursday: That was yesterday. What did I do? Ah, we had our last British Theatre class and our last Shakespeare class [awww]. Shakespeare was one of my favourite classes I've ever had. We performed our monologues for a wee audience and the final time I did it, I almost rocked it so, awesome. Then, we all went to a matinée at the Hackney Empire: a PANTO. Yes. Mother Goose, to be exact. There were about 500 screaming children among fourteen screaming university students. We blew a lot of bubbles, made a lot of small children happy, and the show was a good three hours and defo made for kids, but somehow entertaining nonetheless. We sang a song about a goose and we boo'd an evil witch and we told Billy he could do it many many times. Awesome. That night, five of us went to the Tricycle Theatre to see Filter's "Twelfth Night" again! It was even more fun the second time. It was open seating so we happily perched ourselves right in this side seating basically on the stage. The whole cast knew we were the ones who saw them in Stratford and had talked with Ferdy and Poppy last week so they came chatted it up with us a few times, invited us on stage during our favourite song ever, invited ME on stage for a tequila shot [oh jeez], and made us bawl with laughter nonstop. But we didn't get pizza this time, alas. Afterwards, we had some beers in the theatre café and talked with most of the cast who then invited us to head to the pub across the street [there was an open fire!]. Had a couple pints, had a lot of laughs, y'know. Good night. Sang the song from the show more times than anyone could count. And begged them to take the show to the States, to RWU specifically. Hopefully, they will. It looks positive. Ah, such a fun night. And I eventually got my chips, which is why the inside of my mouth is in searing pain today: Freshly made chips, don't eat em! HOT. Burned.

Today: I went out and bought a ton of HobNobs, Mars Bars, Cadbury bars, and Bounty bars to take back with me. This afternoon is my final class of the semester [Modern Drama at the Tate Modern]. Tonight, we are going to see "Chicago" which I am very excited about. A great mix of Theatre and Dance to send us off with. Now, I will return to watching the entirety of Doctor Who Series 1 [the David Eccleston series] and starting to organize the packing situation which will torment me throughout the day tomorrow.

Observation to leave you off with: American accents sound RIDICULOUS to me. If I hear anyone in the group or in my family talk, it's fine, because I'm used to hearing them, but, for example, I was in the Imperial War Museum last weekend and this obviously American man was talking loudly [obnoxiously] and it sounded completely foreign to me! And I understood why the British find our accents weird, or even annoying. Because they totally are. And to think I used to claim that I had no accent.

To come: My final London entry [there will most likely be a depressing follow-up entry upon my return].

I completely forgot to put the funniest story of all from when I went to see The View at the Astoria! So we were waiting for the second opening band to come on and I was just kind of mingling in the crowd towards the front of the stage and my eyes set on this [pretty dern attractive] Brit who was peering over the crowd, towards the bar. Suddenly, he starts calling "DAN!...DAN!......DAN!" YESYESYES. He was totally serious. Completely serious. He was British, though, he had to have realized what he was doing! It made my night...more than my night because it was a week ago and I'm still guffawing as we speak! And if you don't know what I'm talking about, which is more than likely, I'm referring to one of my top five favourite TV shows: Alan Partridge. And so that you find this entry worth mentioning as well, here's the clip, and you better watch it:

We gave thanks in England too.

Had a game of american football in Russell Square, as tradition has it, this morning. My team lost [I guess...some people were being unreasonably competitive and unreasonably keeping score]. But it was Red vs Blue [ha!] which cracks me up. Most importantly, I was Blue. Suck it, Red. I tackled, never having any idea what I was doing since I hate/don't understand the sport, but I tackled. I just looked at it like a mosh pit and the ball is the front of the stage and you push everyone out of the way to get there. I got very dirty, very muddy, very bloody and bruised, and it was good.

We all went for a pint after the game. Pint at 2pm with no food in stomach = Pissed at 2pm with mild midday hangover. I'm a lightweight and I'm fine with that. It passed.

After a ton of showers, we eventually all got ready to be taken out for Thanksgiving dinner. We went to this cute restaurant in Covent Garden, all dressed up shnazzy. Aprile is here visiting and came to dinner and it made me smile. We had bread with frozen butter. I had no starter because all of it was crazy, but I played with Aprile's crayfish and named him Ralpert. I had turkey with roasted potatoes and green beans and cornbread stuffing. The turkey was good but not thick and juicy and fresh like I'm used to. They had roasted potatoes instead of mashed which is weird because the English are crazy about their mash! The green beans were delightful and the cornbread stuffing was very different and sweet and delicious. For dessert: CHOCOLATE POT. Literally, a pot of chocolate. Really thick mousse, basically, with crumbly almond buscuits. YUM. And I basically went through a jug of water.

Amanda and I had a fun walk home, saw a guy sweeping a street with fire, and Christmas trees, and we talked incessantly about Dream Street and listed their album in order of tracks and it was marvelous to talk about them for the first time in years. Ah, youth!

I picked up a copy of Time Out magazine because there was a huge photo of David Tennant on the cover and it said something about his performance in "Hamlet" [which we saw]. Turns out the article is a page in length and barely even has any photos! Boo.

I also realized why the relationship between the Doctor and Rose touches me so much and it made coming back to the States a little bit more okay. Maybe.

Get me a LaCie XHD for Christmas. Srsly. 900MB's free on my Hard Drive right now and that's post-deleting hundreds of photos. Iz Badd.

Tomorrow: Hopefully sleeping in. Hopefully seeing a museum. Hopefully Modern Drama doesn't last long or at least is fun. Hopefully some time before the play. Going to see a play.

Saturday: Liverpool's not happening. Kristin doesn't have the time for that.

Sunday: My pals I met at the Holloways show are planning to come into the city to see me! Happy 'bout that.

Um, I'll leave it there.

I am thankful...
To be here. For this program giving me the opportunity to come to England for three months at such a great cost and to be engaged so much. For my family for not just making it possible but for supporting me the whole way through. For the few friends who did take the time to keep in touch with me, reminding me what I have back home - If you're reading this, chances are that's you. But most of all, I am thankful for England and all it has given me. I have known my entire life that I belong here and it's real, it's true. I realized that you could compare sending me off to England to setting a kid loose in a candy store...But put a kid in a candy store for three months, and they'll quickly get sick of it, bored, start to really hate candy. Never. Never will I bore of this country and what it has to offer. I am so, so, so incredibly thankful to have been given the opportunity to realize that. I can't express it enough.

Today at the pub, I gave everybody in the group their own personalized "cheers" and here's some for you, devoted blog readers:
Cheers! To Love and Understanding and Respect and Energy and Passion and Art and Creativity and Intelligence and Beauty and Words and Trust and Friendship and Family and Laughs and Growing more every moment of every day.

I'm not as enthusiastic as I was twenty-four hours ago.

Yesterday was the best day in a while - Exciting things happening-speakin and good mood-speakin. Day started clutching a freezing cold Red Bull [first legitimate energy drink since summer set construction days], bouncing around outside the stage door of the National Theatre, talking incessantly to Christie and Chris while we waited, hoping that would keep me from crumbling at the feet of the Autumn-on-Thames induced chill. Then the Production Manager [yes!] of the National Theatre [YESS] took us through these winding hallways to the stage of the Olivier theatre where we would continue to discuss and watch the changeover from "War Horse" to "Oedipus." I shall just say that this was one of the most amazing, rewarding experiences of the entire program. The woman we spoke to went to LAMDA, started out as a stage manager, and she encouraged me to do the summer course. It was inspiring. When she talked about hiring, she said they look for people who are enthusiastic about technical theatre because a lot of the time they'll get people who have some skills but their enthusiasm lies in other areas. PERFECT. The NT is my favourite theatre in the world. Being taken around this place, talking to these people, watching them do what I love so much [just with a hell of a lot more to work with] made me so indescribably happy. One realisation I had is that in a theatre like this, the simpler a set seems, the more complicated it is because if it seemed complicated, it wouldn't be seemless and something would be wrong. They have thought everything out - It's mindblowing. And she gave me photos of the model for the "Oedipus" set design! So cool. I could go on and on but I promise I'll stop here.

Danya and her big sis are here so after the changeover, I went to Covent Garden with the girls and we wandered about the markets and the Disney Store, of course. So much fun!

And Directing class was pretty fun or maybe I was just in a jolly mood.

And after that, two of the actors from Filter [one of whom is one the creators], the company that did the creative version of "Twelfth Night" we saw in Stratford-upon-Avon, came to talk with us. They were a blast! We could have talked to them for hours. They had so many interesting things to say, funny stories, and we just got on with them well. We're going to see the show again net week [they're in London now] and we're going to try to get them to come to RWU! We switched things up and gave them pizza this time. Awesome.

And we saw "Billy Elliott," which was astounding. I couldn't believe the skill these young kids have. At twelve. And I really really liked the music. My favourite dance number was the one right before intermission where Billy goes into an angry rage TAP STYLE. Tap is my favourite style of dance, by far, and the kid was amazing. The rhythm and the sound effects were great. The cast was fantastic and acting-wise, I thought the boy who played Billy's friend Michael outshined most of the adults. What a ham - He's got charisma and he doesn't hold back a bit and that's what makes a great actor - Just to be that natural on the stage - It's irreplaceable.

So that was my Happy Tuesday. I smiled a lot.

My Thanksgiving Observations: Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! No, that is not my observation - Please do give me a wee bit o' credit. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and honestly speaking, we are not excited! "We" being the Queen Victoria phrasing of the word by way of "we are not amused." To shorten this incredulously long speech:

I'm not excited about Thanksgiving in the least, aside from a day off from classes and a free meal. My realisation is that Thanksgiving is really quite pointless without family. [This group, unless you take the cynical look at the fact we can never, ever, ever get along as a whole, is far from familial]. So unless I am going to be sitting at my kitchen table in the middle of wooded Connecticut with my cat stealing my seat and my mum stressing about the food which will never cease to be amazing and my cousins fighting over who gets to sit next to whomever they want to sit next to and pouring real gravy over a real turkey...Well, then, I really just don't want it at all. To be honest, I'd rather be enjoying England while I've got it than trying to bring America to this wonderful place, and, well, doing homework. But if I'd refused to take part in the festivities, I'd once again have been socially reprimanded and scorned by my fella pupes.

Tomorrow, we shall be playing a game of my least favourite sport in existence [American football, if y'didn't catch that] at noon. I am not setting an alarm!

I'm being stubborn. Not as good of a mood as yesterday, obviously. I'd give anything to be back in Penzance right now, falling asleep in my quiet little room, hearing nothing but the waves crashing at the bottom of the hill. Or Southampton! I would love to go back to Southampton. I just want to be alone. And to get work done.

Today, I went to the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, which turned out to be one of the coolest places! I spent over two hours in there - Yes, by my lonesome. Every single thing seemed fascinating! Or fun! Because I've come to realise that learning has to be fun. I learned about London's public transportation systems from the beginning to the future. I got to drive the Tube! They had this Tube train driving simulator where they have a cab set up just like the driving cab of a Tube train and you have to accelerate the train and stop it at just the right moment at stations. That was the coolest, but everything was fascinating, and the museum itself just had a really creative environment - I was impressed and engaged.

After doing a bit of wandering about Bloomsbury, dinner was had and we [we, as in the group this time] went to see a Sondheim musical, "A Little Night Music" at the Menier Chocolate Factory where we saw "White Devil." It was absolutely enjoyable - The entire cast had demanding presence and talent, and I liked the music and the story. The technical issues bugged me - Blackouts happening in the middle of the intermission, stuff falling over quit loud at least three times backstage, a flimsy wall being bumped from backstage causing the set to wiggle, actors bumping into things on stage [I said talented, not graceful]. If that stuff was worked out, it would be an impeccable production, and so impressive in the space, which is a lot like the Barn.

I'm probably going to go to bed now. Or draw. Happy Thanksgiving.

No one likes to stumble, but think about it and most of the time, it makes your day either better or at least more interesting. Walking unwavering lines at a perfect 2/4 time is for Cybermen - We aren't Cybermen. Stumble a little more, people, seriously.

Today, I stumbled upon Dirty Dick's which equals my last of the four pubs I have to see/write about for my Cultures in Contacts site list! I totally did not even mean to get anything done today whatsoever - The plan was to go to the very famous London record shop, Rough Trade, and screw around for a while, embracing the English music culture I'm going to miss so much so soon, and as I'm walking down Bishopsgate, I see the words "Dirty Dick's" glowing bright orange! [initial thought: how could this be it when it looks nothing like a traditional pub from the exterior]. Anyway, I went to Rough Trade [which was on the strangest street that looked a little sketchy walking in but turned out to be completely neo-trendy, just as I like it], I did my thing there, and stopped in at Dirty Dick's on the way back. Way more traditional on the inside - Little booths made of stone like my fireplace, absolutely beautiful.

I'm going to miss Charles and my Shakespeare class. I really do love it. You know I really genuinely love a class when I'm happy to do the work for it. It's a rare thing. But I'm always happy to be there and enjoy doing our speeches even when I muddle up a line or feel a little self-conscious. It's an absolute blast.

My girls brought me to the special "student discount really amazing" little café by our classroom today. Wish I'd known about it earlier. The guys who run it are so nice [have amazing bods] and I had a delicious jacket potato. Oh, goodness.

We saw a new play by David Hare tonight called "Gethsemane." It was in the Cottesloe in the NT where we saw my two favourite plays of the semester ["Some Trace of Her" and "Walworth Farce"] and it definitely didn't live up to those two productions in the least, but it was very well done. Nothing extremely earth-shattering, I found the acting mundane and sometimes cliché [although the woman who played Meredith was Yvonne's mirror image of Shaun's mum in "Shaun of the Dead"] but it was fluid, it didn't attempt anything unnecessary - It was technically pretty simple, which was nice to see for once - And the staging worked. And, um, I liked the ending. My sight lines sucked. Anyway.

I won't miss the Pickwick kitchen, but I'll miss cooking with my girls, sharing beans and baked apples and HobNobs with peanut butter and my fabulously environmentally friendly paper plates. Luckily, three out of four of us have officially put in the request to live together the coming semester so that's a load off my mind - Farewell, Bachelorette Pad!

Despite all the motivation I've been given to want to go back to the States, I really don't. I'm literally terrified at how little time I have left here. You can tell me all you want that it's okay because I'll be coming back, but that's not the point - Point is I'm leaving in less than two weeks. Point being, I physically have to pack those bags, step out the doors of 7 Bedford Place the final time and physically force my body to leave England. Friends and family are important - But going back to a lifestyle I don't connect with, a society I don't feel I fit in is never fun for anybody. Gosh this is a depressing entry. I had a really good day, I swear.

I just finally saw "Shakespeare In Love" for the first time ever. We've been saying all semester that we would and then tonight, me and my favourite buncha roomies plopped down with a cuppa hot chocolate, laughed our way through "Elf," and moved on to the sexier SIL. Beautiful movie, though I kept complaining when they drifted from Shakespeare's factual life now that, thanks to Charles, I'm a Billy Shakes Pro.

Anywho, it's not that I don't want to write here. If I had the time, I'd spend hours writing here. I love it. I want to savour and remember every second I spend here. I want to capture every single emotion I feel, thought I have, sense that I sense, but unfortunately, life doesn't work the way my brain does so sadly, a lot of London must be lost.

The View show was phenomenal, though it didn't quite match up to The Holloways show, which was way more intimate, friendly, laid back, new friends. I could not even see The View. I can't explain how packed this place was. I haven't been so packed in with a crowd to see a show like this since high school. The entire crowd was a mosh pit, which was a lot of fun because I haven't gone wild like that since my youth, as I put it. I was more covered in sweat than I ever will be even if I spent the rest of my life on a treadmill and I've never been more covered in beer, not even as much as that time I replaced the water tank with a keg and took a beer shower. Point being, it was beyond crazy. One person heard my American accent and a chain reaction occurred where the rest of the night, I was popular. Mission accomplished: My friends, I've kissed a London boy.

The next day [following a horrendous night of inexplainable stomachaches, most likely not-fully-reheated-Leicester-Square-pizza] we went to Canterbury, followed by Dover. Canterbury was a cute town and I think the cathedral was actually my favourite so far if you don't include Riveaulx which is ruins. It's a World Heritage site along with the pyramids, which is kind of neat. The stories about Thomas Beckett's murder came up every other minute and it's fascinating, but I mean, they go on and on about how he was a martyr for the faith and I get it that he was a religious figure and that he was killed in the church which is a safe zone for everybody, but seriously, the king's problems with him were about power, lets face it. Still, moving and devastating in the way he died, and fascinating. The cathedral was absolutely beautiful, inside and out, and I didn't mind the absolutely intense cold that much.

Next stop was Dover. We had a blast at Dover Castle, running around, playing, seeing the gorgeous sites. By the time we were done, the sun was setting and we saw a breathtaking view of everything go completely orange over the famous white cliffs of Dover. And we could see France across the ocean! Very cool. I accidentally got my foot in the water. Not so bad. The tunnels throughout the castle were really cool...There were so many!


the white cliffs of dover and a very orange english sunset.

Today, Amanda, Caitlin, and I did cool stuff! We went to the London Movieum where they have all this stuff from films and stuff about films and we spent hours in there...SO much fun!! They had the original Tardis from Doctor Who and Mr. Bean's suit and this fun quiz video game and animatronic dinosaurs you could move and the stuff from The Borrowers and instruments to play and the list goes on and on! We had a field day. It'd be a great place to take kids to learn about film. I mean I pretty much knew everything they were teaching about, but it's so cool.

We then popped over to the Tate Britain and had our minds blown by sketches with so much thought put into them, I hated myself for my artistic inaction as of late. Such clever minds in there. Favourites of the day included Oskar Kokoschka [colourful satire paintings, WWII], Tacita Dean [female filmmaker, giant sketches in chalk inspired by filmmaking], David Shrigley [doodley monochromes with the philosophy 'my drawings are for people who like to laugh at moral crises. It's a matter of making fun of the things you could get depressed about. You've got to laugh.'], and of course, good old JMW Turner, though my favourite of his style wasn't really demonstrated enough to my liking. It lacked his really passionate work. Anywho, that was the Tate of the day.

After that, we had a Bob Dylan pilgrimage. Now, "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is debatedly my favourite Bob Dylan song, and undebatedly in my top five favourite music videos of all time. Well, the music video for it just happened to be shot in an alley behind the Savoy Hotel on The Strand in London, right by Waterloo Bridge. Well, my friends, we found it, and I brought one of the cue cards to reenact it and Amanda was silly Allen Ginsberg in the background, and I was thrilled:


amanda as allen ginsberg, kristin as bob dylan.


and the original.

And that brought us to our comfy evening tonight! Tomorrow, it's back to classes.

I can't handle this less than two weeks left thing. I can't handle it.
I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back. I'm coming back.

Oh my god I'm so excited about tonight!

Tonight, I am going to see one of my favourite bands, The View, at the London Astoria. Pumped. Hopefully lives up to The Holloways show. Maybe it'll rain and I'll make friends in the queue.

Here's my update.

My family was here last weekend and left Tuesday. I feel like I barely saw them except when we were in Austria because I had five billion classes. Austria was unbelievable and breathtaking and I need to go back some day and see more. Glad I chose Salzburg. Even more determined to learn German than I was before. Being at the places that were in one of my all-time favourite films [The Sound of Music] and flying just above the Alps, seeing the mountains peek above the clouds, was all incredible. The food was good [PRETZELS, pancakes filled with ice cream, wiener schnitzel, best spaghetti ever]. The people were nice and most could speak decent enough English. I could go on and on about how beautiful it was, how many laughs were had.

This week was weird. Mostly because we are realizing that we have two weeks left here after this one's over. Gross. Also because we saw all weird shows. Monday I saw "Phantom of the Opera" with my family which wasn't weird at all - just incredible. Tuesday night was this Sankai Juku dancing [some form of Japanese dance where they are all painted white-ish completely, they push buttons with nudity and all sorts of stuff and basically, they just move really really really slowly to weird music and a peacock comes on stage at one point]. That was weird, I fell asleep a lot, and I kind of hated it. Okay. Wednesday night was a new play called "The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes," which had little to do with Thomas Hobbes, more with the discovery of science at the time, Robert Boyle and the people in his life, and all kinds of wackiness that had no cohesion at all. Bad play. Uncomfortable theatre. Hm. Thursday night was AWESOME. We saw the Classical Spectacular at the Royal Albert Hall where they plaed popular classical music with a laser light show, fireworks, cannons, opera singers, a choir, some random dancers, and a really animated conductor. Tears welled up in my eyes and I got chills all through "Rule, Britannia!" and the whole audience waved the Union Flag. Amazing, I had so much fun.

I think that brings us to now. I'm realizing how far behind I am on schoolwork. Ew. But I got stuff done today. Cool.

Tomorrow: Canterbury [as in the Tales], Dover Castle, Cliffs of Dover.

:awesome:

How is it possible to take up a Pickwick shower for forty-five minutes??

Thanks. Whoever you are, enjoy my disgusting presence from lack of shower on your behalf in class today.

Rant done. Real blog soon to come, I promise-ish.

I leave for Austria in what is really a matter of hours.

I feel like no good right now and trying my damndest to ignore it. Headache mostly, but what's new about that?

All I care about is that my family is here. They have been all day. I've barely seen them what with the six hours of classes I had today [which included an hour of chatting with David Bradley who we saw in "No Man's Land" but most people know as Filch from "Harry Potter" but I personally cherish as the mumbling old English farmer guy in "Hot Fuzz"] but I took them to my favourite pub for dinner, they all loved it, and it made me happy. I want them to love England! I know it's barely possible to love it as much as I do, but still.

We also saw a new play tonight at The Gate where we saw "Hedda" at the beginning of the program. It was called "State of Emergency" and it was eighty minutes and it all took place behind a glass pane like they were on display, but they lived in a somewhat futuristic gated community that was driving them all insane in their own ways and it was fascinating - Reminded me of 1984. Okay!

Meanwhile, I have to go pack. For Salzburg.

OMGSALZBURRRRRG!


Also, happy birthday Ryan.

I know it's been a matter of hours since I last posted. Be happy! I'm on a posting binge as opposed to starving myself from the bloggage like I've done in the past. Ew.

Anyway, as if I haven't mentioned it a billion times, my mum, dad, and sister will be here tomorrow morning and as I will be stolen away from everything for a matter of five days, practically another BritRail week for me, I have a lot to do and probably shouldn't have slept in til 10am.

I've decided to make a list of the crazy rad amounts of things I need to get done today what with no classes and such. You know, just to show the impossibility of it all:
-Shower
-Shave m'legs [remembered this is England, woman! Not France!]
-Go back to TopShop to get those gloves I meant to buy in the hustle and bustle of Monday
-Go to a Museum. A freaking museum!!
-Write the British Theatre play critiques for both last week and this one [last week has just a wee bit more to go]
-Get a few Cultures in Contact journals done
-Laundry! Biggo time.
-Eat at some point.
-Clean the room? I've basically already done this. It looks bitchin. My mum will still find it a catastrophe. But I still need to reorganize my desk drawers and closet
-Decide what things to send away to the States with the fam. Avoiding overweight charges is my fave.
-Go find the bus stop we need at 5am Friday morning. You know, make sure it exists.

I think that's hopefully it.

Also, remember that band in Stratford Captain Dangerous who was really great and I left them my number? Well, I bought their EP. It isn't as good as they were when we saw them. They've probably improved since 2007. Groovy.

That's all for now. I'm estimating one more post before my fam gets here and then you may not here from me for a bit. Kay bye bye bye.

Today was a windy day in London Town.

I was not nearly as successful as I meant to be. Homework was worked on, but not completed. Could be worse though. Staying positive. I cleaned my hard drive out pretty good, bought some antibacterial wipes and gave my sink a scrub down. My room smelled fresh when I walked in tonight.

I got lost twice today, both times in areas that I know very well. What did we learn? I have little to no sense of direction. I, for one, shall scratch pilot or boat captain off of my career possibilities.

I shopped, for the first time, bringing my own bag and I, for one, am quite proud of my environmental friendliness! Besides, it's much easier on both me and the cashier, so.

Tonight, we saw the final installment of "The Norman Conquests" and it was a bittersweet evening. It was hilarious, per usual, but so sad to say goodbye to these characters we've grown so attached to as they've let us into their muddled lives, made us laugh again and again. It's like a beloved television series coming to its close.

Speaking of TV, I've been getting television off iTunes and it makes me gleeful. Collection now includes: Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Doctor Who, Family Guy, Harvey Birdman, Invader Zim, Monk, The Office, and Psych. I do get the new episode of The Office each week. It's kind of one of my few connections to the States. People, keep in touch with me more for god sakes. Make me smile. Leave me comments. Something.

Random thought: I really, really hate when people can't spell. When it's obviously not a typo - They're really just that ignorant of how simple words are spelled. It's amazing how dull spelling one word wrong can make you look. Then again, I could stand in a queue for ages trying to do math and wonder how many people think I'm a moron so who am I to talk, yeah?

Realisation: This experience hasn't made me all that more independent. I guess I've realised I was extremely independent before - Freakishly so. I don't need to be this alone to be independent, I suppose. I guess I'm kinda lonely. Awwww.

Most importantly, twenty-four hours from now, my family will be on a plane heading towards the UK and I think I am more excited than them. Bahh, I can't think about classes when I have this excitement going down! No classes tomorrow...

EXCITEMENT.

Today was a rainy, rainy day in London Town. Cities are a puddly, puddly mess.

Classes were boring. This shall be my first Shakespeare quiz I won't have gotten 100% on. Disheartening. Honestly, though, I don't know how I was supposed to remember the names of the fairies that tend to Titania without being prompted to do so. Unrealistic. Oh well.

After class, I looked at my money stash, with today's allowance, and realised I had quite a bit of money saved up! I'm quite proud of how well I've been doing with my self-improvement Learn To Save trial. I think I shall stick with it.

Anyway, upon realising this, I decided to blow off sitting around, despite the weather, and hit up one of my favourite places in the world, TopShop. TopShop gives me mixed emotions - I often get jealous of these young women who have always lived in England and have built up this amazing wardrobe I've always, always wanted, and I get sad when things are expensive [obviously] but I just love all the clothes so much! It is the fashion I have always wanted in my closet, on my body, and it's right here. Makes me not want to go back to the States. Back to pretty mundane, awful fashion. Bahh. Anyway, I got three tops for under forty quid total. Success!

Most importantly, tonight, I had a couple revelations. We went to see "War Horse" at the National Theatre and I think it's safe to say we were all blown away. It is the story of a boy, Albert, and his horse, Joey. Joey gets enlisted into the British Army during World War I and Albert enlists to find him. It's this whole happy/tragic story that will make you cry tears of all sorts. For me it was nostalgia. The horses were puppets controlled by humans and eerily realistic - They got the mannerisms of horses spot-on. I came into it not thinking it would be good - As someone who has spent literally entire days at a time just watching and interacting with horses, I thought they would use horse stereotypes and clichés - Only thing that bugged me was that they made them rear a few too many times, which they really don't tend to do much. But Joey and Albert were me and Cowboy [my first horse who I knew my whole life]. They played the same games and interacted the same ways, had a very similar relationship. Revelation was this: It made me feel, ultimately, extremely guilty for ever letting such a good friend like Cowboy go. I'm very angry with myself and just want to get him back now. I suppose any play that can, with puppets, make an audience so emotional must be a success. One of the best shows I've ever seen. I mean, it took two of my all-time favourite topics - Horses and World War I - And made it a beautiful, tragic, happy, thrilling play. And based on a children's book nonetheless! Wonderful.

Earlier today, I went online to find out about that person who was under a train in the underground last week. Nothing on it, specifically. What I did find out is that it's actually pretty common and "there is a person under a train" is a generic recording they have to use sometimes. Eery. What I found in the process of this research, though, was funny stuff about the Tube. ( It's the bus, not the Tube, but same idea. )

Just a funny story to brighten this grey, gloomy day.

Anywho, my eyes are ready to shut and stay shut.

My family will be here in almost two days, and I'm addicted to Doctor Who. That is all for now.

Going to Sainsbury's this morning was depressing. A group of people, including myself, were bunched up outside the doors, waiting like cattle for noon. The workers stood inside waiting for the minute hand to hit the twelve so they could unlock the sliding doors. Things like that just make me realize time and time again that I don't think I can live in the heart of a major city like this. I talked with Charles, our Shakespeare tutor, about that this weekend and he agreed with me on the subject...Living in the city is miserable. Ideal for me would be to either live in a port city [like Southampton or Liverpool here, or New London, CT or New Bedford, MA back home] or on the really pretty outskirts of the city like Kingston, any area south of the Thames. Seriously.

The long weekend at Stratford-upon-Avon was by far the best long weekend trip we've done! I had so much fun.

Thursday
I got to be in a quint with Casey, Caitlin, Amanda, and Christie, all of whom I love and have a blast with. We stayed at quite the adorable B&B [the owners had a rescue dog, therefore they won points before I even set my bag down]. We had this neat little suite - Amanda, Caitlin, and Christie had one room and then Casey and I had this tiny room sectioned off and the bathroom was adjoined between the two. Best part: It had the start/stop shower like in Penzance! I wish I could take that shower back to London with me. Anyway, we started having so much overtired fun right away. Fantastic.

After a quick lunch at Costa [orange hot chocolate is so delicious!] we went to see the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "Love's Labors Lost," which I was a little concerned about after the vastly boring, flat production we saw at The Rose. But it happened to be one of the best shows we've seen yet and here's one of the #1 reasons: David Tennant. Known to the world as Doctor Who, superbly attractive, incredibly talented and charasmatic, very inspiring - truly a Scottish wonder. In love with the show and our aforementioned actor, I got the poster.

RSC is neat because not only are their shows impeccable, but they use the same actors so it's really interesting to get to see them in two very different roles all in the same day. It's inspiring to see the lengths of how much the actors can vary like that.

That same night, we went to see "Hamlet." Once again, concerned, and pleasantly surprised! When you hear a play will be almost four hours long [yay, unabridged Shakespeare!], it can be a little daunting. It really wasn't bad to sit through at all, even running on nine hours of sleep totaling over two nights...There were times I would have easily fallen asleep if the play had let me, but it wouldn't let me at all! David Tennant played Hamlet and Patrick Stewart [yeah, that one] was Claudius. The rest of the actors were mostly ones we'd just seen, or would see the next couple of days, and they were all quite amazing as well. There was one scene where David Tennant looked unmistakabley like my homestay brother, Dom, and it was the "To be or not to be" scene. Distractions! There was another scene where Hamlet throws a recorder to Horatio, who proceeded to drop it [evidently, not part of the show]. David Tennant covers, without a fumble, with a "Clumsy..." and as the laughter continued a "...'Twas a bad throw." Hilarious! Although, Hamlet killed Laertes from behind just like Laertes did to him. Unheroic! The show was done in modern garb. Not distracting! This was the last time we saw David Tennant. Woe!

Oh, between those two shows, a hilarious dinner ensued. My roomies and I went to this pub for yet another beer & a burger deal [always under 5 quid]. I got a lamb 'n mint burger with my beloved Strongbow. The best part was when Casey and I went a little crazy with the Pub Quiz, playing about six games of Pub Quiz Connect 4 [like Connect 4 but with questions each time you try to drop a chip in], which was really turning out well for us at first, winning 50p, but then it was just yelling and laughter and guessing and not paying much attention to where we were putting the chips, and we had an audience. Classic. Even the ingesting of a mint bomb [mint ice cream in a chocolate shell] became a competition for us.

After "Hamlet," the whole group went to the famous Dirty Duck. The Dirty Duck is right next to the RSC's theatre so this is known to be where the actors come for their post-show pint. It is from the 15th century and really called The Black Swan, but it's known as The Dirty Duck, so. We went, a bunch of actors were there as well [Laertes/Demetrius, Moth/Page/Fairy, and another girl who was in Midsummer], they made us a bunch of delicious sandwiches [the people at the Dirty Duck not the actors] including ham and butter which is a favourite, and brought us wine. I still am not crazy about wine...white is okay, rose is okayer, red is nasty. Oh well. We had a really fun night, but I was exhausted and was one of the first to drift back to the B&B. I've started reading this book by Katie Mitchell [the one who co-wrote/directed "Some Trace of Her"] called The Director's Craft. Very helpful and insightful.

Friday
I showered on Thursday. Wanted to sleep in a little. My roommates are loud. I love them anyway.
Breakfast was highly disappointing. There was nothing full about this English breakfast. I filled up on cereal doused in sugar. People find it weird when they ask me "Coffee or tea?" and I answer "Water." Sigh.

We had a while after breakfast before the coach came to pick us up. We watched a Quiz show where one of the questions happened to be "Who is the current Doctor Who?" WHAAT?! The guy answered it wrong. We were shocked. Ah, David, haunting sir.

The coach came to get us at 9:45 to take us, hurriedly lead all day by Charles, to Mary Arden's farm. Mary Arden was Shakespeare's mum. Her farm was fun - There were far too many animals for a group of country-deprived university students to hold back.


hahaha priceless. that's love.

We hugged donkeys, petted sheep, booped piglets on the nose, milked a fake cow, held an owl while it ate, and Casey and I saved a goat! It got its head stuck in the fence while we were feeding them and it started choking trying to get itself free so I turned its body and held it still while Casey pulled its head up and out. We felt pretty awesome. Falconry was really popular in Shakespeare's time so we went out to this muddy field with this lady and an owl and she gave us a lesson in falconry while we took turns putting on the leather glove, holding a piece of chick [some people got a head, I got a foot] and having it fly over to us, eat, chill for pictures, and fly away again.


me holding the owl! if only it would have looked at the camera. his name was angus. all the birds are named after characters from shakespeare's plays.

We took a quick tour of the house, which wasn't half as exciting as the animals. I mean, come on, I saved a goat and fed an owl. I picked up a bottle of organic lemonade at the gift shop and Charles hurried us out. Next stop was Anne Hathaway's house. No, we didn't go visit the actress from The Princess Diaries. Anne Hathaway was Shakespeare's wife. So Billy Shakes lived here! It was a cute house. I learned stuff. But I couldn't touch stuff. There was a gift shop - I got gifts - And there were free, freshly picked apples from their orchard. We ate them!


anne hathaway's house! the little old lady in the door was our tour guide.

The coach drove us next a little further away to Warwick Castle! AMAZING. One of my favourite places - There were no boring lectures or cathedrals!



We split off into little groups, got a yummy lunch [fresh carved roast beef, potatoes, and veggies under gravy], and got to do whatever we wanted there! We started with Kingmaker, not sure what it was. There was a video of a young boy dreaming about life as a soldier in the 1400s? We were rambunctious? Turns out, the Kingmaker isn't a part of Warwick Castle where university students get turned into kings - The Kingmaker is the nickname for Richard Neville, sixteenth Earl of Warwick, who was a major protagonist in the War of the Roses [theme in Shakespeare's history plays] and instrumental in the deposition of Edward IV and Richard III. Look, I learned something after all. After Kingmaker, and trying on hats, Charles advised us to go to the Royal Weekend Party, which wasn't a party at all [as Ashley pointed out right away]. It was just some fancy rooms inside that have been updated to make us feel like we were at some fancy party Daisy, Countess of Warwick, hosted there in 1898. So it didn't look like the rest of the castle. There were creepy, lifelike wax figures everywhere, lots more hats for us to try on, and a lot of children getting in our way. Okay. We then found the dungeon. It was small, there were torture devices, and it wasn't all too exciting. Creepy enough, though. Next, we climbed up high and walked along the walls of the castle, then climbed the tallest tower. It's the one in the photo. Incredible view. After climbing another tower, we went back down and made our way out. ( Here's an awesome photo Casey took of me, Christie, and Ashley leaving the castle gates. Look closely, we look like effin models. )

We wanted desperately to go on the playground but there were a lot more children there than when we first arrived, so it was no go. But the gift shop was fun to play in. Swords and whatnot. We all took a walk into Warwicktown to see the Beauchamp CHAPEL. Yeah, yeah, another one. Pretty sure none of us retained any info [except, the guy mentioned Kingmaker, and we chuckled], but the tour guide was at least...really nice. I saw a pub with a sign for "Pasty & a Pint"...Dream meal. After a walk back to the coach, we went back to our B&B at Stratford and the roomies collectively decided what we should do with our bit of free time. The five of us went into town to get snacks since our dinner wasn't until 8 and we were hungry. We got distracted on the way, got Love Lettuce face masks at Lush, some of us got shmancy liqueur at Vom Fass [I was tempted by the Piña Colada but am poor], and finally we got to Sainsbury's and picked up some eclairs and cheese 'n crackers and hot chocolate. It was all quite yummy, cozied up in our room nibbling and watching "Love Actually" as we're all in a Christmas mood and love Love Actually! We saw the prime minister's right hand woman in Love's Labors Lost the day before, and the cheating brother in Love's Labors Lost at the Rose, so, cool.

By the time dinner rolled around, I was stuffed and angry because my meal was delicious and I couldn't eat it! I had a yummy caesar salad with an incredible steak and ale pie with chips and chocolate fudge cake and white wine that was actually kind of good for once! And I could barely eat. Frustration!

After that, we had a little time. Charles took me and 3/4 of my other roomies for a very dark nighttime stroll by the Avon. We had chats and it was wonderful. We then went to see an 11pm, hour and a half long production of "Twelfth Night" by the RSC, again. Um. Well. It was definitely exciting and entertaining! It was basically like being at a show...a rock show or whatever, what I typically refer to as a "show." There was a lot of music. Not much "Twelfth Night." But they turned some "Twelfth Night" into really, really awesome songs. During the best song which was the "What is love? 'tis not hereafter..." part, balls were tossed into the audience to be thrown, stuck by velcro, to one of the actor's heads, fab pizza was handed out and stuffed in our faces while we sang along, people went on stage to dance, including me and Emily. The song ended, people boo'd, Malvolio came to yell at everyone, an actor held just me and Emily on stage to receive Malvolio's anger for hilarity's sake, and it was exciting. I can officially say I've been on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Later, they broke out in "Tequila!" and two audience members were brought on stage to take shots of tequila. The show was exciting, risky, new, messy, and an absolute blast. I think I got out of it what the company wanted the audience to get out of it, so, Success!

We did the face masks together that night and were all very tired.

Saturday
We had to pack, store our bags at the B&B, and were free until 1 to do certain things they wanted us to do. I went with the roomies and a couple lovely extra first to Shakespeare's birthplace. Pretty cool. I saw the bed Billy Shakes was born in. Apparently some people cry when they see it. Guys. This guy's a big deal.


shakespeare was born in there...far left upstairs window.

We then ventured out onto the street where a band was playing. I fancied the bassist quite a bit [upright bass!]. Turns out they were also really good. Their name is Captain Dangerous. They sound a bit like The Rumble Strips mixed with, well, a bunch of British indie bands, and turns out, they've toured with them. Neat. They're a pretty big deal and we saw them playing on the streets of Stratford-upon-Avon. I told Casey I should leave my number in their guitar case. Right after, they had a song where they asked for a girl's name and number. Okay. So, I wrote my name and number on a slip of paper and put it in their guitar case with change. I've been in the music scene since I was fourteen, hell, I know musicians thrive off stuff like that. Anywho.

We strolled through a little market, which was cute, and went to see where Shakespeare is buried [and was baptised]. It was pretty cool realising how close we were to the man himself, even if it is just bones in there.


William Shakespeare. Is in. There. The words in front on that white sign say "Good friend for Jesus sake forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, and cursed be he that moves my bones."

We went to lunch at The Dirty Duck since it was close to the theatre and we knew it was good. I got the most amazing lunch - Steak and ale pie with mash and veggies. So amazing, so filling.


i love the dirty duck!

We saw a matinée performance of the RSC's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which was, once again, amazing. Better than the last time we saw it! It was really cool to see what they do with the big mirror backwall through all three of the plays. They did something extremely different with it each time! And there was a whole bunch of flying people around, people coming in on moon swings, awesome. Even though I tend to be more impressed by shows that do a whole lot with a whole little, this was neat. The ears on the donkey head moved. Awesome.

After that we went to catch the train and head home. I was in an absolutely horrible, miserable mood because of some bad news. There are certain things about this program that are messy and don't work and need to be figured out. Oh well, like an amazing play, there's always something that could use work. Nothing is perfect. Work around it, Kristin.

It always feels much later than it actually is. I hate how early it gets dark. I was thinking it was too late to make dinner. It's five. So, False.

Most importantly, my family will be here in less than four days, and I'm unbelievably excited, even though someone has made it so that I have barely any time in London to spend with them. EXCITEMENT!! And Salzburg with the fam and Caitlin in five days!!

EXCITEMENT!

signed,

kristin-upon-avon.

Mystery #1: How does someone just, y'know, get under a train in the Underground? I mean, I get on the Circle line to Monument today, heading back from the Tower of London, and right away, there's an announcement that the Central Line isn't running. There's somebody under. A. Train. Is it sick or human of me to desperately need to get a copy of the London paper tomorrow and read all about it.

Mystery #2: Why did the company we saw at the Barbican tonight destroy one of the best plays ever written. "Romeo & Juliet" is in my top 3 favourite Shakespeares, and just all around beautiful. First of all, they changed the ending [blasphemy!] so that they don't die...I think? Though I'm not sure because it did look like they were dancin' around in the sky at the end...sort of like the Swan Boat dealio. But, seriously people, I understand what they were trying to accomplish by turning R&J into a dance piece, I appreciate the concept, but no. No, no. A hand gesture doesn't really accomplish what an absolutely beautiful monologue constructed with some of the best poetry to ever be written does. Mercutio doing a jig doesn't cover his brilliant wit. The only things I liked about this performance were: Tybalt [a girl played him, which took me a while to realize because she had the man-dancer thing down pat and she was positively magnetic to watch], the green socks on the Capulets' servant, and most of all, this one dance move that they did a few times, which Casey and I have adopted. Enough about that misery.

Mystery #3: Why do ravens have such a ridiculous call? We ventured to the Tower of London today for our Cultures in Contact class. Very, very cool. There were ravens all over the place [evidently, good luck as long as they stay at the Tower so wings = clipped]. Anyway, I thought at first that it was the ghostly voice of some woman. Weird. We saw the royal jewels [the annointing spoon that dates back to the first crowning] and saw a video of the queen's coronation [she looked absolutely stunning!] and I got shivers. We went through the White Tower, played some games, but I feel like there was so much more to see there. It's a really big place and luckily, I'll be going back with my family next week! Yes, my fam will be on their way to the UK in a exactly a week. So pumped.

Mystery #4: When do I sleep? Whennnn do I sleep?? Got four hours last night. Getting about 6 or 7 tonight. Not happy about that. We leave for Stratford-upon-Avon at 8 in the morning. We are going to be ingesting everything Shakespeare ever for the next three days. Back Saturday evening. Okay.

Mystery #5: How did we luck out so brilliantly back in the States?! Seriously, eight years of darkness [yeah, calling 'em the dark years] and I see a glint of hope. Go Obama!! So excited, you probably don't even know.

Mystery #6: Where are all the Guy Fawkes Day celebrations?? Today was Guy Fawkes Day here in Britain, everybody. A little history for you's: Guy Fawkes was the guy who was to execute the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. The Gunpowder Plot was an attempt to kill King James I by blowing up the House of Lords on the opening of Parliament [which happens next week, by the way]. Yeah, I know of this whole thing from "V For Vendetta" - What of it? I heard a ton of fireworks. I had to go see a crappy dance piece instead of taking part in the bonfire festivities. By the way, I think a lot of people misunderstand the purpose behind Guy Fawkes Day, probably because of "V For Vendetta." It's not about commemorating Guy Fawkes and the Gunpower Plotters' ideals for religious freedom - It's about celebrating the foiling of the plot - Note the rhyme goes as such:
Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I can think of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up the King and Parli'ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

God save the King! British Nationalism, guys, nothing V was diggin. Anywho.

Unrelated: Last night, a few of us went to the Black Cap Pub in Camden Town as a post-Halloween Halloween celebration [for me, pre-Obama Victory celebration]. It's a gay pub. With karaoke. We rocked it. Everyone there loves us, took videos of us and photos of us - We were stars. Fantastic.

Okay, serious packing to do. Leave me alone, blog!

I believe I am accustomed, yet still completely and utterly American. I'm a mashup. Quite the mashup. I've always been Brit at heart, but apparently without being snobbish [my new pals' description of British gals, not my own] and I still rampantly use my American slang and pull out the strange mash of NYC/Fall River accent enough.

I will forever be completely and utterly annoyed with people who block up the gates to get on the Tube! Some of us just swipe Oyster cards and take two seconds. There should be an underground fast lane like E-Z Pass lane for toll booths. It will never cease to aggravate me and give everyone in my way a serious evil eye.

I am learning to eat cheap! I've become absolutely determined to save my food money for more important things like British fashion while it's still easily available to me and seeing bands. Lots more bands. I basically live off pasta, water, apples, HobNobs and Tracker bars. It's good. I might blow some cash on the occasional sandwich. It's a good thing though - Losing a bit of weight and learning to save. Noice.

Today was back to classes. It was a good transition - British Theatre didn't start til 11 and Shakespeare was pretty laid back as well. We're getting ready for our trip to Stratford-upon-Avon. So that was good.

Outside of the classroom, there was this dead daddy long legs spider that like...slipped down this pillar and looks like he hit his head and perished like that. I'm drawing it and giving myself the heeba-jeebs in the process. I guess that's what that silly badge we got for free in our goody bags Saturday night meant by "suffer for your art." Heeba-jeebs.

I got three journal entries for Cultures in Contact done. Kids...I'm awesome.

We saw "Creditors" by Strindberg. It was directed Alan Rickman. YES, Love Actually, Dogma, Perfume, Sweeney Todd, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Harry Potter - THAT Alan Rickman directed it. He did quite a fantastic job too! It was great finally seeing a Strindberg, and it was haunting, it was engaging. I was amazed it was over already. I was little obsessed with the lighting and all the acting, particularly from the guy who played Adolf. And the audience included Ralph Fiennes [who we just saw as Oedipus] and Cara Horgan [who we saw as Hedda and I also saw in the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas]. Awesome.

Most importantly, I am ill again. I woke up with a sore throat yesterday and it has yet to leave. I just feel overall like aches and badness. I know. It's not okay. I just want to curl up in a bed I feel clean and wonderful and comfortable and at home in. I've yet to feel at home at Pickwick, which is kind of disheartening but not everywhere can be home.

Do you like me updating regularly again? Well, comment, guys! Seriously. And if you want a subject to comment on, I'm buying a pair of Doc Martens next week - It needs to happen while I'm here and I see neo-trendster Brit gals wearing them all the time [super awesome with tights] and I'm jealous. Quandary: Not sure which ones to get - The glossy white ones or the dark red leather ones. White gets dirty, dark red might not look as feminine. Help!

And this is a giant vat of stirring chocolate at Harrod's:

I thought it might draw you in.

But I'm sitting here writing. Whatever, it's Sunday. Last night was the best.

I went to see The Holloways and the Underground Heroes [and some other bands that don't really matter] play at Uni London Union with the No Half Measures Tour. It was a wee bit rainy, a wee bit windy and, if you stand in that for a while, it tends to be a wee bit chilly, especially in a sleeveless dress, tights, and a not-so-heavy jumper. Okay.

I mean, I figured out how to get there [just a few streets away, past Russell Square], so at least I was able to do that. They were supposed to open the doors at 5. I got there at about 5:15ish. The doors didn't open until almost 6. Two men stood just inside laughing at us getting sopping wet [don't worry, it was, in fact, worth it later]. Luckily, my new pals Scott and Richard were shivering in the queue in front of me, kept me entertained despite the wet, and I ended up hangin with them the rest of the night. I taught them a whole bunch of American words like pants, sneakers, plaid, sass, and the word of the night: Badass.

They gave us goodie bags full of free stuff promoting some energy drink. Free! Stuff! I wasn't complainin.

I warmed up with a Strongbow [that's a lie. I didn't know warmth again until I got back that night]. We shivered and talked until the first band...

The first band was Bear Hands! They are from Brooklyn! NYC! Home! The lead singer looked like Jesus and he made out with his [male] guitarist on stage. I promised my new pals that's not necessarily a valid image of Americans from the NYC region. All the same, about half their songs were really pretty good. I have their EP. Whatever. I recommend the songs "Golden" and "Long Lean Queen." I think seeing them live with the typical sort of depressing American band thing [British bands have so much more fun on stage!] ruined them a tad, but just a tad.


bear hands!

I'm pretty sure it was right after Bear Hands that Richard and I perused the t-shirts, I decided I couldn't decide between the Holloways one and the Underground Heroes one, and somehow, the three of us ended up taking a lovely jog through the rain all the way to Sainsbury's [coatless] to use an ATM that doesn't only take Visa. It was a fun time, actually, and while my arms went numb at first, it warmed me up overall. Whatever, I hadn't eaten all day. We got HobNobs and Smartees, which basically completed the night.

We missed Regards, which is kind of funny because they were the only band I knew nothing about coming into the show, so Regards will always be the mystery band to me. We caught the last minute of their set and they didn't seem like anything super. Oh well. I got a couple fantastic t-shirts [my t-shirt collection has been decreasing and that saddens me...I live in tees] from a couple fantastic bands.

Haunts went on next. They were entertaining. Nothing extra-special, but I like 'em. Their guitarist and bassist climbed up on the tall stuff next to the stage. It wasn't as cool and rebellious as they probably thought it was. Whatever. Good time.

More chilling. More sitting. More talking. Okay.

The Underground Heroes were next! I was extremely excited. They were fantastic - So much energy, and I'm in love with their lead singer's voice. I've been stuck on the song "Skinny Twins" so much the past few days. Their tunes are catchy and they're crazy good-lookin to boot! Crazy talented for young'ns too - Only 17, 19, 19, and 22.


best photo i got of the underground heroes. pretty bad.

More sitting, talking, laughing, getting pumped for The Holloways. YESS.

The Holloways were freaking AWESOME. Everybody danced [even Scott when I forced him to] and everyone was happy and the band had more energy than the bloody sun! "So This Is Great Britain" was probably the most exciting, "Generator" was the perfect time for almost everyone to jump in the mosh pit, "Re-Invent Myself?" was the great sing-along, the new "Sinners & Winners" was the one I absolutely fell in love with, but "Two Left Feet" was my favourite - It's a song about not being able to dance but doing it anyway because no matter how ridiculous you look, everyone can dance! It's so happy, they even whip out the fiddle. So they said for everyone to dance and everybody did! From the people who look hot doing it to the fools like me who maybe shouldn't to the sassypants like Scott who don't want to. It just made me feel really good! There was the perfect number of people in the audience and the perfect sized space - I loved it. Oh, Holloways, I love you.


the holloways!

So that was basically the show! Fun, amazing, new pals, new tunes - Yeah!

Today was Sunday and Caitlin and I had a classy afternoon in the Marble Arch area. We had Wall's ice cream in Hyde Park, took a lovely stroll, and watched people yell a lot to the point a fight just about broke out at Speaker's Corner [every Sunday, people are allowed to come, stand on ladders or whatever they choose, and say whatever the hell they want, basically. Sometimes new religions are started]. I preferred the fight of the pigeons to the fight of the speakers.


whoa. whoa, man, just take it easy. guys, it's not worth it.

It was a really pretty day despite my throat being sore and a woman wiping out pretty bad on her bicycle.


pretty day in hyde park!

There was some sort of rollerblade parade. A guy pedaled around blasting a remix of "Wild Thing." It made us laugh. We went to Harrod's. It was classier than we will ever be. There was a whole floor of gourmet foods, a "chocolate bar" with that giant vat of melted chocolate, almost an entire floor with children's toys and children's clothes by names such as Burberry and Ralph Lauren and Diesel et cetera, there was more diamond-encrusted lighting fixtures than I ever thought I'd see, there were pretty fantastic TV's [that showed wonderful things like Ben Whishaw and my beloved Reds], and my favourite part was the whole section of the Sports floor with horse and horseback riding equipment. I need to someday buy my horse a Harrod's saddle pad! Okay!

We were tired. We came back. We made pasta again. And watched "The Office" again. And here I am! And music owns my life. I need to go see more and more and more British bands. While I already knew this because the great majority of my music library is composed of British bands, it has been confirmed for me that they put on a better show than most American bands. My goodness, they actually have fun while they play! Imagine.

To prove it, I'll close up with my favourite video from the night. It's us kids rockin out along with The Holloways doing "So This Is Great Britain."

http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m256/kdurinick/?action=view¤t=MVI_1818.flv

I obviously have a lot of ground to cover here, because I have covered a lot of ground.

I'm putting all my travel logs and exciting stories of my three days of constant moving behind an el-jay cut because, well, I had a lot to say. There won't be pictures, so if you're one of those cheapos who don't actually read my blog, but think you can sum up the story in my exiguous number of photos, you might as well quit your browser now. But the photos are on Facebook and honestly, I don't have the time to sift through, upload a bunch to Photobucket, and fiddle about for hours. I'm tired from one of the best shows ever last night and am going to Harrod's and Speaker's Corner with Miss Caitlin in a wee bit so lets get goin with this!

( MY TRAVELS. READ ALL ABOUT EM. )

I'm wicked tired right now and therefore, am not going to give you the full witty rundown I usually do.
The most exciting thing that happened today was going back to Woodside Park [forever my London home...our homestay neighborhood] to borrow some riding boots from Holly! Because she's the coolest girl in all of England, particularly by saving me from riding barefoot tomorrow. Basically, I felt like I was going home and did, I will add, go to reach into my pocket for my keys, automatically thinking I was turning left to go back to my homestay house. Weird.


oodside par? love! and rain!

I leave at 6:15 in the morning to make sure I catch my 7:30 train from Paddington to Taunton. From Taunton, I shall head out to Exmoor National Park via bus. I'll be riding through the park at an all-out canter for two hours with Burrowhayes Farm.

After that, heading back to Taunton to catch a train all the way down to the lil tip of England's toe - Penzance. I'll be staying at one of the most historic buildings in England, which has as a part of it the second oldest theatre in the country and bar Dickens himself frequented. I'll be staying there two nights. While in Penzance, I fully intend to have a real Cornish Pasty in the real West Cornwall and doing this. And, yeah, while there is a fabulous musical entitled "Pirates of Penzance," I researched and there's really nothing pirate-related in Penzance. Alas.

Wednesday morning, I take off back up the south coast to Southampton. Why? Titanic. Yes yes, I am a bit of a nerd and have been absolutely fascinated, if not near-obsessed, since before they even made the movie. I taught classes about it in elementary school. Mmhmm. Well, anyway, Southampton is where the Titanic set off for her miaden voyage from. It is where the White Star Line dock was for quite a long time, and where you can find anything Titanic-related, including just about every memorial and a pretty darn cool museum.

After that, Wednesday night, it is back to London Town! So wish me luck. I won't lie - I am a bit nervous about this trip despite the tons of maps and detailed lists of when to be places and how to get there I've preapred for myself. I'm just convinced something must go wrong! First real trip completely alone and I'm doing it in a foreign country. I shall prevail!

And so, I must finish packing as I planned to go to bed in about ten minutes. Seriously, nothin else exciting happened today besides my most recent trip to the bathroom where I found my neighbours having a romping good shower together, joyously conversating in their foreign tongue [impressing me as I imagined it must be hard to talk so vibrantly while under a stream of water]. Oh, and my epic shaving wound today, the day after I pondered buying bandages at Sainsbury's for a good long minute. So when the shaving got a little much for my dainty ladylegs, the fresh roll of toilet paper was there, ready to give me the look of a wounded soldier:


you would totally never guess that was toilet paper!

Enough of this! See you in three days, blog [I hope].