"Fireplaces, eggnog, Makers Mark in the lodge, love on a bear rug: no comment"
...where would I be without the help of my professor in writing a song about Winter.
Cue the awkward theme music...
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Put things into perspective..
A professor of philosophy stood before his class with some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was full.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and watched as the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The professor then asked the students again if the jar was full. They chuckled and agreed that it was indeed full this time.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the remaining open areas of the jar. “Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar signifies your life. The rocks are the truly important things, such as family, health and relationships. If all else was lost and only the rocks remained, your life would still be meaningful. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your life, such as work or school. The sand signifies the remaining “small stuff” and material possessions.
If you put sand into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks or the pebbles. The same can be applied to your lives. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are truly important.
Pay attention to the things in life that are critical to your happiness and well-being. Take time to get medical check-ups, play with your children, go for a run, write your grandmother a letter. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, or fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first – things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand.
They agreed that it was full.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and watched as the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The professor then asked the students again if the jar was full. They chuckled and agreed that it was indeed full this time.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the remaining open areas of the jar. “Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar signifies your life. The rocks are the truly important things, such as family, health and relationships. If all else was lost and only the rocks remained, your life would still be meaningful. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your life, such as work or school. The sand signifies the remaining “small stuff” and material possessions.
If you put sand into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks or the pebbles. The same can be applied to your lives. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are truly important.
Pay attention to the things in life that are critical to your happiness and well-being. Take time to get medical check-ups, play with your children, go for a run, write your grandmother a letter. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, or fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first – things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand.
Friday, January 23, 2009
You're kidding me, right? Growww Upppp
HAHA what a dumbass. Some psychotic lady with too much time on her hands (which is odd cause she should be off peeing with her kid on her lap) decided to act like a middle schooler and anonymously comment on my aunt's fabulous blog. She basically said that my aunt shouldn't have her dream job or take time out of her day to, uh, I don't know, USE THE BATHROOM, because she should be taking care of her two sons and her adoptive daughter, Lucy.
Soooo stuuuupiddd.
Anyway, just had to rant about it here to avoid freaking out via an angry comment or anything. It's remarkable how I thought jealous, insecure people would stop doing things like this in, hmm, MIDDLE SCHOOL. Oy...
Soooo stuuuupiddd.
Anyway, just had to rant about it here to avoid freaking out via an angry comment or anything. It's remarkable how I thought jealous, insecure people would stop doing things like this in, hmm, MIDDLE SCHOOL. Oy...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The Song that Rachel Wrote About Me. :-D
I gotta tell janice to stay awayyyy
i had a fluffernutter todayyyy todayyy todayyayayayayayay
if i breathe on you would you die?
if i breathed on you would you die?
stick an epi pen in your thigh in your thigh in your thigh
and save your life
I gotta tell janice she needs to knowww
She drinks her sangria like a pro (repeat)
drunk or sober you can be cool
drunk or sober you can be cool
just don't drink too much or you'll need a loo (repeat)
tell me tell me Doctor Who
compares to what janice can do
she does what nobody else can
david tennant wants to know
why he ever let her go
he says that brian's a lucky man
he's the man (repeat)
i gotta tell janice i wrote her a songggggg
i'm sure when i tell her she'll sing alonggg (repeat)
when you hang with janice there's a risk
of meeting brit boys with a lisp
and if it's new years you might get a kiss get a kiss get a kiss
yeah and that's the gisttt
of janiceee
janice rocks janice rocks
janice rocks janice rocks my socks
janice rocks my socks.
YAYAYAYA
i had a fluffernutter todayyyy todayyy todayyayayayayayay
if i breathe on you would you die?
if i breathed on you would you die?
stick an epi pen in your thigh in your thigh in your thigh
and save your life
I gotta tell janice she needs to knowww
She drinks her sangria like a pro (repeat)
drunk or sober you can be cool
drunk or sober you can be cool
just don't drink too much or you'll need a loo (repeat)
tell me tell me Doctor Who
compares to what janice can do
she does what nobody else can
david tennant wants to know
why he ever let her go
he says that brian's a lucky man
he's the man (repeat)
i gotta tell janice i wrote her a songggggg
i'm sure when i tell her she'll sing alonggg (repeat)
when you hang with janice there's a risk
of meeting brit boys with a lisp
and if it's new years you might get a kiss get a kiss get a kiss
yeah and that's the gisttt
of janiceee
janice rocks janice rocks
janice rocks janice rocks my socks
janice rocks my socks.
YAYAYAYA
And so...the time has come...
I can't believe this is the last day we're in London. The last chance to walk around and see the sights. The last chance to check out the London restaurants, museums, guys... ;)
The last time I'll go to bed here and the last time I'll wake up here. The last time I'll get to hang out with my friends here. :( sad.
I'll miss...
The Feathers, my favorite pub here, and their cheap drinks and delicious chicken barbecue
seeing Buckingham Palace when I go off for a walk or run
Delicious bottles of sangria
Romero, the creepy-ass Russian kid who hogs the computers, leaving used tissues and bags of popcorn everywhere...HAHA just kidding. Won't miss him.
Rachel's songs about everyone.
pretty money
finding a coin on the ground means you could have found up to £2 (a $3 equivilent)
seeing celebrities everywhere
cheap, but breathtaking theatre
being hit on by creepers and running from them. especially the married ones.
the lack of trash barrels ont he streets, but somehow they manage to keep everything clean
everyone over here liking Doctor Who and not giving me weird looks when I express interest in it
sexy accents
toilet paper that doesn't come in rolls, but upside down tissue boxes
British Deal or No Deal
"Mind the gap!"
The unbelievably amazing London Underground, where the trains are frequent, comfortable, and clean
...so much more...
The last time I'll go to bed here and the last time I'll wake up here. The last time I'll get to hang out with my friends here. :( sad.
I'll miss...
The Feathers, my favorite pub here, and their cheap drinks and delicious chicken barbecue
seeing Buckingham Palace when I go off for a walk or run
Delicious bottles of sangria
Romero, the creepy-ass Russian kid who hogs the computers, leaving used tissues and bags of popcorn everywhere...HAHA just kidding. Won't miss him.
Rachel's songs about everyone.
pretty money
finding a coin on the ground means you could have found up to £2 (a $3 equivilent)
seeing celebrities everywhere
cheap, but breathtaking theatre
being hit on by creepers and running from them. especially the married ones.
the lack of trash barrels ont he streets, but somehow they manage to keep everything clean
everyone over here liking Doctor Who and not giving me weird looks when I express interest in it
sexy accents
toilet paper that doesn't come in rolls, but upside down tissue boxes
British Deal or No Deal
"Mind the gap!"
The unbelievably amazing London Underground, where the trains are frequent, comfortable, and clean
...so much more...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
It's 4pm here
Just finished my final exam on the theatre of London! It wasn't too bad. Cross your fingers for me...
Tonight we're seeing Billy Elliot! I'm so excited to see it!
I think I'll go drink a nice big glass of wine. Hooray with no more final exam! Just got to get cracking on that paper due next week...
I hope everyone has a great night :)
Tonight we're seeing Billy Elliot! I'm so excited to see it!
I think I'll go drink a nice big glass of wine. Hooray with no more final exam! Just got to get cracking on that paper due next week...
I hope everyone has a great night :)
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday & Tuesday
So...
Monday was great! I was feeling ill again, but we went to the Doctor Who store after class. It was like heaven on earth. I got a bunch of posters and things, spending money I simply don't have. It was great! I almost got this giaaaaant David Tennant calendar, but chose to buy Brian gifts instead. Ohhh what a wonderful girlfriend I am ;)
After that we relaxed before going out for dinner and a show. We went to some Indian restaurant, where I c ouldn't eat, so I went for a walk while everyone else ate there. Awkward. After that we saw Every Good Boy Deserves Favour at the National Theatre. It was sooo good. Very different from anything else I've ever seen on stage. There was an orchestra onstage. It took me til halfway through to realize they were not playing. They were so convincing. The music was fantastic, acting great, etc. And the guy who starred in it was in Stephen King's The Mist. So that was cool.
Afterwards, we stopped by The Feathers (our favorite hangout) for a drink...or 5. Jenni bought me a pint of beer with 6% alcohol. We met this random businessmen (all of them older and married, mind you [we saw their rings]) and talked with them. They were absolutely out of control. Crazy Welchmen. Oy. And they work as "knife crime advisors"...I'm not kidding. One of them gave me his business card. I was like "errr." And then he told us to add him on facebook, where he's only friends wtih his kids. Awkwarddd.
So weird. Anyway, we came home and played Kings and I went through a glorious £3 bottle of sangria from the grocery store. It's the most glorious beverage ever. Sooo good. Mmm fruity wine. So we got a little out of control.
This morning I felt like shit (obviously) and we had our last class session. Then I went to the drugstore (Boots!) and I bought a bag to use as a carry-on. I talked to Brian on the phone a bit. Then I had a lovely lunch of a sandwich and cookies. Mmm. Then I took the longest nap...I just wanted to feel better. Which I am. So that's good.
Then we went on that stupid Oscar Wilde walking tour. I would have rather read a detailed book about the man. Oh well.
Thennnn we went to The Feathers again and ate food. And now I'm sufficiently stuffed. Oy.
Now it's studying time. And I'm tired again. Maybe I have mono. That would suck.
Tomorrow we're seeing Billy Elliot after our final YAY :)
Monday was great! I was feeling ill again, but we went to the Doctor Who store after class. It was like heaven on earth. I got a bunch of posters and things, spending money I simply don't have. It was great! I almost got this giaaaaant David Tennant calendar, but chose to buy Brian gifts instead. Ohhh what a wonderful girlfriend I am ;)
After that we relaxed before going out for dinner and a show. We went to some Indian restaurant, where I c ouldn't eat, so I went for a walk while everyone else ate there. Awkward. After that we saw Every Good Boy Deserves Favour at the National Theatre. It was sooo good. Very different from anything else I've ever seen on stage. There was an orchestra onstage. It took me til halfway through to realize they were not playing. They were so convincing. The music was fantastic, acting great, etc. And the guy who starred in it was in Stephen King's The Mist. So that was cool.
Afterwards, we stopped by The Feathers (our favorite hangout) for a drink...or 5. Jenni bought me a pint of beer with 6% alcohol. We met this random businessmen (all of them older and married, mind you [we saw their rings]) and talked with them. They were absolutely out of control. Crazy Welchmen. Oy. And they work as "knife crime advisors"...I'm not kidding. One of them gave me his business card. I was like "errr." And then he told us to add him on facebook, where he's only friends wtih his kids. Awkwarddd.
So weird. Anyway, we came home and played Kings and I went through a glorious £3 bottle of sangria from the grocery store. It's the most glorious beverage ever. Sooo good. Mmm fruity wine. So we got a little out of control.
This morning I felt like shit (obviously) and we had our last class session. Then I went to the drugstore (Boots!) and I bought a bag to use as a carry-on. I talked to Brian on the phone a bit. Then I had a lovely lunch of a sandwich and cookies. Mmm. Then I took the longest nap...I just wanted to feel better. Which I am. So that's good.
Then we went on that stupid Oscar Wilde walking tour. I would have rather read a detailed book about the man. Oh well.
Thennnn we went to The Feathers again and ate food. And now I'm sufficiently stuffed. Oy.
Now it's studying time. And I'm tired again. Maybe I have mono. That would suck.
Tomorrow we're seeing Billy Elliot after our final YAY :)
La la la la
Sorry for the lack of update...Russ just told me I haven' t updated in days, so I should probably do that. And it won't be about David Tennant.
Well, I will have to do a post about Wicked and about Hamlet, but I don't think I'm fully prepared to give them a review. I will say that Wicked was the greatest musical theatre performance I've ever seen in my entire life. And Hamlet was the best theatre performance of all time. Ever. Period.
Anywho...Sunday was cool. We did absolutely nothing, tried to catch up on sleep. I vomited a few times. That was awesome. NOT. Umm.
Monday was cool and fun too. We had class. And then we....did stuff....
ahh crap I have to go on an Oscar Wilde tour now. Oh silly Oscar Wilde. :)
I'll blog later.
Well, I will have to do a post about Wicked and about Hamlet, but I don't think I'm fully prepared to give them a review. I will say that Wicked was the greatest musical theatre performance I've ever seen in my entire life. And Hamlet was the best theatre performance of all time. Ever. Period.
Anywho...Sunday was cool. We did absolutely nothing, tried to catch up on sleep. I vomited a few times. That was awesome. NOT. Umm.
Monday was cool and fun too. We had class. And then we....did stuff....
ahh crap I have to go on an Oscar Wilde tour now. Oh silly Oscar Wilde. :)
I'll blog later.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
How on earth did I get sick...
Somehow I managed to get sick.
I don't know what could have done it. Maybe the waiting outside in the freezing -5 degrees Celcius weather for 7 hours? Maybe the not sleeping at all Friday night. Maybe the fact that I ate nothing but a McDonalds egg and sausage McMuffin for breakfast and a McDonalds chicken nugget happy meal for dinner all day. Maybe the sitting in a theatre with hundreds of people coughing and sneezing for the 3.5 hour long show. Maybe waiting outside again for a couple of hours just to see David Tennant and Patrick Stuart. Or maybe it is because I couldn't sleep last night because the damn Hamlet cast party was across the street, keeping me awake with the noise.
Who knows.
I don't know what could have done it. Maybe the waiting outside in the freezing -5 degrees Celcius weather for 7 hours? Maybe the not sleeping at all Friday night. Maybe the fact that I ate nothing but a McDonalds egg and sausage McMuffin for breakfast and a McDonalds chicken nugget happy meal for dinner all day. Maybe the sitting in a theatre with hundreds of people coughing and sneezing for the 3.5 hour long show. Maybe waiting outside again for a couple of hours just to see David Tennant and Patrick Stuart. Or maybe it is because I couldn't sleep last night because the damn Hamlet cast party was across the street, keeping me awake with the noise.
Who knows.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
No words...
(front left: Patrick Stuart [the one in a suit with the bald head..;-)] and in white is David Tennant)I did it.
I sat, stood, danced, did squats, talked, walked, and slept in the below freezing London air last night. I spent 7 hours of my life outside in the freezing cold, with 5 sweatshirts, 2 pairs of sweatpants, 1 shirt, 2 pairs of underwear, 2 pairs of socks, 2 scarfs, one hat, 4 hoods, one bra, and one pair of gloves on. Oh and my boots.
All those articles of clothing did NOT prepare me for the freezing night from 3am through 10am. I have so much more sympathy for the homeless now. They do that every night and I barely lived through that one night. Well, I would have gone back to the hotel had I seriously thought I'd be doing serious damage to my health.
Anyway...
Last night Sabine and Russ (our two professors on the trip) came back from seeing Royal Shakespeare Company's Hamlet, starring David Tennant and Patrick Stuart, the show I'd wanted to see for months now. I tried getting tickets before we even left for London but it's been sold out for weeks and weeks. But Russ snagged day-of tickets and they'd gone to see it. When they came in, they immediately began raving about the show. They told us people had already started camping outside for tickets for Saturday (today). My friends and I had planned to leave to try and get day-of tickets around 7:30am, but I realized that we needed to take action much sooner than that.
So we drank loads of coffee, some people took naps, and the professors encouraged us to go wait in line for tickets because apparently they're worth it...
Soo we left before 3am. Got there via a double decker bus that took us on a crazy scary rollercoaster ride, and we waited in the freezing cold for tickets.
I'll give more details later, perhaps, but I did get my ticket. And I did cry.
And now I must sleep as much as posisble before the show, as sleeping on freezing pavement didn't work out very well.
All those articles of clothing did NOT prepare me for the freezing night from 3am through 10am. I have so much more sympathy for the homeless now. They do that every night and I barely lived through that one night. Well, I would have gone back to the hotel had I seriously thought I'd be doing serious damage to my health.
Anyway...
Last night Sabine and Russ (our two professors on the trip) came back from seeing Royal Shakespeare Company's Hamlet, starring David Tennant and Patrick Stuart, the show I'd wanted to see for months now. I tried getting tickets before we even left for London but it's been sold out for weeks and weeks. But Russ snagged day-of tickets and they'd gone to see it. When they came in, they immediately began raving about the show. They told us people had already started camping outside for tickets for Saturday (today). My friends and I had planned to leave to try and get day-of tickets around 7:30am, but I realized that we needed to take action much sooner than that.
So we drank loads of coffee, some people took naps, and the professors encouraged us to go wait in line for tickets because apparently they're worth it...
Soo we left before 3am. Got there via a double decker bus that took us on a crazy scary rollercoaster ride, and we waited in the freezing cold for tickets.
I'll give more details later, perhaps, but I did get my ticket. And I did cry.
And now I must sleep as much as posisble before the show, as sleeping on freezing pavement didn't work out very well.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
honestly?
If you want the truth, I'm not all that homesick.
A part of me feels bad for not being more homesick.
So I feel like I'm forcing homesickness.
If I had a weekend a month where the people from home that I love could come visit and I'd see them and then have the rest of the month to myself... If I had a cell phone to use and a house and computer of my own here...I'd be set. I could easily move here and forget everything back home. Get a job out here, forget it all. It wouldn't be that hard or that bad.
I've always loved my smalltown life in suburban Wilmington. It's fun to know everyone and to be familiar with everything. I've been in the same house on the same street in the same town since I was born. With the same friends, the same boys, the same places. Always the same.
But since I was young I've wanted to live in the city. I was dying to go to college in Boston or New York. It didnt' work out that way...but London is just so amazing and has reinforced that feeling of wanting to live in the city. It feels way too familiar and natural, and it terrifies and thrills me at the same time.
I want to go home before I want to stay here forever.
I'm not kidding.
A part of me feels bad for not being more homesick.
So I feel like I'm forcing homesickness.
If I had a weekend a month where the people from home that I love could come visit and I'd see them and then have the rest of the month to myself... If I had a cell phone to use and a house and computer of my own here...I'd be set. I could easily move here and forget everything back home. Get a job out here, forget it all. It wouldn't be that hard or that bad.
I've always loved my smalltown life in suburban Wilmington. It's fun to know everyone and to be familiar with everything. I've been in the same house on the same street in the same town since I was born. With the same friends, the same boys, the same places. Always the same.
But since I was young I've wanted to live in the city. I was dying to go to college in Boston or New York. It didnt' work out that way...but London is just so amazing and has reinforced that feeling of wanting to live in the city. It feels way too familiar and natural, and it terrifies and thrills me at the same time.
I want to go home before I want to stay here forever.
I'm not kidding.
Things I Miss
For now let me give you a list of the main reasons I miss home so much, the reasons why I do wish to go home.
Later I will give a list of reasons I never want to go back to the States...
- Margaritas. I would kill for a sangria swirl margarita. Just because it's my favorite drink and all the drinks here suck. (Except for the £3 sangria you can get down at the corner store)
- Food. I miss eating food. It's a good time. I can't afford it here. And it's just not the same.
- Family & Friends. Their company is missed, that's for certain.
- Cell phone. While it's been refreshing not being attached to my cell phone at all hours, I do miss the option of calling someone when I miss them. Or at least texting up a storm or IMing people. :(
- My computer. Ohhh my computer. Where I didn't have to worry about saving things to the desktop or being on it for too long because someone else is waiting. Where I don't have to worry about "ineedtogetlaid.com" being on the favorites list, because someone else who uses the computer is rather perverted...*tear*
- Boyfriend. If he were here, everything would be infinitely better.
Later I will give a list of reasons I never want to go back to the States...
Did you know there's space in the national theatre...?!
I'm exhausted. I really really hate Jodi Picoult in the sense that I get so unbearably obsessed and utterly in love with her books that I can never put them down until I have to due to the fact I've fallen asleep. I was up reading until 4am last night. Oy. Thankfully we didn't have to meet up until 11:30am today, so I slept up until 11:29am.
((By the way it's 3:24pm here now, meaning it's 10:24am in MA. ))
Then we went to the National Theatre and took a tour. The tour guide told us there was a lot of space at this theatre. Then she proceeded to repeat this fact over and over again, making up about 90% of the tour. We did get to see some pretty interesting things there though. Including the stage being set for the play opening Monday night, Tom Stoppard's Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, which we are seeing there the night of its opening.
We then hopped onto a double decker bus (they're ridiculous fun) to get to see the "Old Vic." The bus is a good time, but very jerky. Much like the Knight Bus from Harry Potter. Oy.
The Old Vic is playing a show written by a playwriting professor from Dartmouth. It's directed by Kevin Spacey and stars Richard Dreyfuss. Not even kidding. I wet myself profusely. So sexy.
Anyway, I have loads more to discuss I'm sure, but right now I'm starving and exhausted, so I'll read a bit of my Jodi book, Perfect Match while I have some wonderful pomegranate white tea. Hopefully lunch/dinner will be ready soon, seeing as I haven't had much more than a handful of Frosties (what the brits call Frosted Flakes cereal here lol) since grilled cheese and tomato soup yesterday at noon.
((By the way it's 3:24pm here now, meaning it's 10:24am in MA. ))
Then we went to the National Theatre and took a tour. The tour guide told us there was a lot of space at this theatre. Then she proceeded to repeat this fact over and over again, making up about 90% of the tour. We did get to see some pretty interesting things there though. Including the stage being set for the play opening Monday night, Tom Stoppard's Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, which we are seeing there the night of its opening.
We then hopped onto a double decker bus (they're ridiculous fun) to get to see the "Old Vic." The bus is a good time, but very jerky. Much like the Knight Bus from Harry Potter. Oy.
The Old Vic is playing a show written by a playwriting professor from Dartmouth. It's directed by Kevin Spacey and stars Richard Dreyfuss. Not even kidding. I wet myself profusely. So sexy.
Anyway, I have loads more to discuss I'm sure, but right now I'm starving and exhausted, so I'll read a bit of my Jodi book, Perfect Match while I have some wonderful pomegranate white tea. Hopefully lunch/dinner will be ready soon, seeing as I haven't had much more than a handful of Frosties (what the brits call Frosted Flakes cereal here lol) since grilled cheese and tomato soup yesterday at noon.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
We're in London...but we're a bit homesick...
This morning, a few people in the group were discussing how much we want to go home. Does that make us stupid or bad people?
A somewhat lazy day...
Today wasn't all that enthralling, to be honest. We woke up, had class (in Jenni, Ari, and Brianna's bedroom because the classroom was too chilly LOL), and then I went for a run. Some of the kids on the trip made us all grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup...delicious! Then I bathed and got ready and we went to the Tube. I left the group (oh dont' worry, I knew where I was and I was uber-careful...it was midday and I went into a busy place, so I was safe), while a few of my friends went off to see an imax movie? About deep sea adventures? I don't know...
I shopped for a few groceries, some souvenirs, and wine. Of course I broke a bottle of wine in my adventures, but I don't like to talk about it lol.
I eventually ventured home and have been on the computer ever since (it's 6:30pm here now and I had come home at like, 3pm at the latest). I've been working on the duty schedule for my RA's and myself. OHGOD. I didn't think it would take this long! And I have at least another half hour to go with figuring it all out. Oy. I am saving it for another time, though...
Shortly I'll be off to see Loot, which is a play. Should be interesting...we'll see :)
I shopped for a few groceries, some souvenirs, and wine. Of course I broke a bottle of wine in my adventures, but I don't like to talk about it lol.
I eventually ventured home and have been on the computer ever since (it's 6:30pm here now and I had come home at like, 3pm at the latest). I've been working on the duty schedule for my RA's and myself. OHGOD. I didn't think it would take this long! And I have at least another half hour to go with figuring it all out. Oy. I am saving it for another time, though...
Shortly I'll be off to see Loot, which is a play. Should be interesting...we'll see :)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Bananas are good
Today was a good day! Woke up...journeyed to the Tower of London! It was really really really awesome. The place is so old! Built sometime in the time period of 1066 and 1078 (both years were given to me as a building date), the Tower of London, specifically the White tower, was where the royal family lived for about a 500 year period of time. The Tower of London is where hundreds of people were tortured, and even more were executed. People like Queen of England, Anne Boleyn, whom King Henry VIII got sick of when he wanted a new wife and had executed on the charges of adultery with several men, incest with her brother, and treason. I might go to a service at the chapel where she's buried, along with many many other historically significant people. I sat in the chapel today and it was really amazing. So I decided I will go for the service on Sunday, hopefully.
We also saw the crown jewels. OHGOD. So amazing. One of the diamonds on the sceptre was 530 karats. A 530 KARAT DIAMON. UGHHH.
I want shiny things. the crowns were beautiful...this one was my favorite:
It was Queen Victoria's. She didn't like the weight of the Imperial State Crown, so she had a lighter (and prettier, in my opinion) crown made of 1187 diamonds in 1870, at her own expense.
I also saw lots of guns used in times as early as the 17th century. There were outfits and old crap everywhere. It was very fascinating. I even browsed the gift shop, which used to be the torture chamber. Pretty great. I almost fell to my death by falling into a toilet that's hundreds of years old...
It was very cool being in a place that's almost 1,000 years old. To be in a place where royalty lived for so long, where so many ghosts haunt. There always have to be at least 6 ravens on the premises or the monarchy will collapse (silly superstition), so I saw a few of the 10 ravens that reside there. They were creeeeepy. Didn't see any ghosts though. Sad.
After the Tower of London, we went to lunch.......in a crypt. We went to the cafe in the crypt, by the Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields church. It was interesting eating in a cafeteria sort of environment over the tombs of people. Awkkkwarddd. Amazing creme brulee though.
After lunch, my camera was completely dead :'( We headed over to Drury Lane (theatre, not the location where the muffin man lives, sadly). There we encountered the best tour as of yet (at least in my opinion)! We got to explore a theatre originally built in the mid 1600s, which was rebuilt since because of fire. But we did get to journey down a hall underground that was from the original building. It's said to be haunted by some guy who used to have urine/bladder problems who sprinkled lavender on himself to hide the stench...I guess to this day you can smell lavender in the hallway. We also go to peek in on a rehearsal of Oliver, which was fabulous. And some young kids from the show walked by and one was like "what the hell is going on?" Dude, I didn't say "hell" til I was at least a teenager. Jeez.
Anyway. The tour was wonderful. Our guide told us how he saw Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stuart last night. I nearly peed my pants. I want to see that show SOOOOOOO BADDDDDDD. I love David Tennant SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCHHHH. AHHHHH. Sorry...I'll calm down now...but I'll have you know I will meet and win him over some day. :-P
So after the tour, a few of us checked out a British tattoo parlor, which ended up being not open...so then we went souvenir shopping at Leicester Square. We eventually came home, and right by the hotel, Rosanna wiped out and injured her ankle :( Rachel and I helped carry her home, and she's doing much better now, but we think it's sprained. Not good.
I've been on the computer for a couple of hours now LOL. Uploading pics and looking up trips to Scotland, which I don't think I'll partake in. I can barely afford going to Ireland or Scotland, but I don't think I will. I'm just so tight on money.
I am seeing Wicked on Friday though!!!!!! Shitty seats, sure, but less than 20 pounds. Can't beat that. Tomorrow we have class, free time, then a show tommorrow night.
OH YEAH. The Bride Wars London Premiere is Thursday night. I want to go see Anne Hathaway wicked bad, but I have to go see a showwww that niiiight :( lolol.
Oh well.
Now I shall leave you with one of the many songs by Rachel...about Brianna...:
Brianna sits and wears her black and pink...
Strolling along, seeing how much she can drink...
And not dieeeeeee!
Briaaaannaa!
Smokin' crack pipes that make the magic in the sky!
We also saw the crown jewels. OHGOD. So amazing. One of the diamonds on the sceptre was 530 karats. A 530 KARAT DIAMON. UGHHH.
I want shiny things. the crowns were beautiful...this one was my favorite:It was Queen Victoria's. She didn't like the weight of the Imperial State Crown, so she had a lighter (and prettier, in my opinion) crown made of 1187 diamonds in 1870, at her own expense.I also saw lots of guns used in times as early as the 17th century. There were outfits and old crap everywhere. It was very fascinating. I even browsed the gift shop, which used to be the torture chamber. Pretty great. I almost fell to my death by falling into a toilet that's hundreds of years old...
It was very cool being in a place that's almost 1,000 years old. To be in a place where royalty lived for so long, where so many ghosts haunt. There always have to be at least 6 ravens on the premises or the monarchy will collapse (silly superstition), so I saw a few of the 10 ravens that reside there. They were creeeeepy. Didn't see any ghosts though. Sad.
After the Tower of London, we went to lunch.......in a crypt. We went to the cafe in the crypt, by the Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields church. It was interesting eating in a cafeteria sort of environment over the tombs of people. Awkkkwarddd. Amazing creme brulee though.
After lunch, my camera was completely dead :'( We headed over to Drury Lane (theatre, not the location where the muffin man lives, sadly). There we encountered the best tour as of yet (at least in my opinion)! We got to explore a theatre originally built in the mid 1600s, which was rebuilt since because of fire. But we did get to journey down a hall underground that was from the original building. It's said to be haunted by some guy who used to have urine/bladder problems who sprinkled lavender on himself to hide the stench...I guess to this day you can smell lavender in the hallway. We also go to peek in on a rehearsal of Oliver, which was fabulous. And some young kids from the show walked by and one was like "what the hell is going on?" Dude, I didn't say "hell" til I was at least a teenager. Jeez.
Anyway. The tour was wonderful. Our guide told us how he saw Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stuart last night. I nearly peed my pants. I want to see that show SOOOOOOO BADDDDDDD. I love David Tennant SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCHHHH. AHHHHH. Sorry...I'll calm down now...but I'll have you know I will meet and win him over some day. :-P
So after the tour, a few of us checked out a British tattoo parlor, which ended up being not open...so then we went souvenir shopping at Leicester Square. We eventually came home, and right by the hotel, Rosanna wiped out and injured her ankle :( Rachel and I helped carry her home, and she's doing much better now, but we think it's sprained. Not good.
I've been on the computer for a couple of hours now LOL. Uploading pics and looking up trips to Scotland, which I don't think I'll partake in. I can barely afford going to Ireland or Scotland, but I don't think I will. I'm just so tight on money.
I am seeing Wicked on Friday though!!!!!! Shitty seats, sure, but less than 20 pounds. Can't beat that. Tomorrow we have class, free time, then a show tommorrow night.
OH YEAH. The Bride Wars London Premiere is Thursday night. I want to go see Anne Hathaway wicked bad, but I have to go see a showwww that niiiight :( lolol.
Oh well.
Now I shall leave you with one of the many songs by Rachel...about Brianna...:
Brianna sits and wears her black and pink...
Strolling along, seeing how much she can drink...
And not dieeeeeee!
Briaaaannaa!
Smokin' crack pipes that make the magic in the sky!
Monday, January 5, 2009
A few days in review...Oh, London.
Some lady just left the lounge room commenting on how she can "tell" that we're "a theatre group," after listening to everyone being so loud and crazy for a while. Ha.
Alright, so what have I been up to? Well, let's start off by saying that it's nearly 10pm, London time. Making it 5pm EST.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
We went to Southwark Cathedral. We got to pray for a few minutes and then learned all about the cathedral's history. Apparently a few cool people were buried there, including Shakespeare's brother and some bishop from the 17th century who translated the bible. Cool.
Then we went to The Globe and got a fantastic tour of the premises. It's obviously not the original Globe theatre, but it's an incredibly authetic life size replica of it, a few hundred yards away from the original location. It was absolutely amazing. The tour guide was quite amusing as well. You have to love a good tour guide...
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Sundayyy, Erin and I woke up wicked late and got ready. We went off to God knows where to see Into the Woods at this cute, intimate little theatre in the outskirts of London. We were in a smaller residential area, so it was really cute to see that sort of place rather than all the hustle and bustle of the inner city.
The show was wonderful! I might be biased because it's my favorite show of all time, but still...very good. Lots of good singing, cross-dressing (gotta love how the stepmothers and stepsisters are crossdressing men in all the shows), and the characters were part of the pit by playing instruments into t he show. It was pretty cool. I loved it.
Afterwards, Erin and I grabbed dinner at the pub downstairs from the theatre. We ate some sammiches mmm. We saw the cast of the show milling about the pub and that was really cool. I thought the baker's wife was the prettiest girl in the world. I was jealous.
Erin and I attempted to get home and it took about two hours hahaha. We had to take a bus somewhere and all these trains...it was crazy. Then I spent hours on the phone with Brian when I got home. It was great. A nice relaxing evening.
Today, Monday January 5, 2009
We got up and looked outside to see wetness and snow. So gross, but it was the first sign of precipitation since arriving in London, so that made it somewhat exciting. The weather quickly turned to crisp, but dry. We had class from 9:30am until 11am, but Sabine was late because her wake up call never came, so class didn't start til nearly 10am. We were all quite fine with that.
After class we had some break time. I watched some weird morning British show for a while. At noon we all went over to a genuine Spanish food restaurant. It was rather disturbing. The food just wasn't for me. I had some salad, bread, a bit of chicken, and a meat ball. Hahaha. There was other stuff, including rice and kalimari, but I just wasn't all that hungry or interested.
After lunch we went to the UK version of CVS, Boots. I got some more shampoo, conditioner, and bar soap, cause my body is demanding when it comes to keeping it hygienic. After that we stopped by our rooms at the hotel before journeying out. As we were abotu to leave, Erin and I heard a deafening beeping and buzzing noise. My RA instincts kicked in and I knew it was a fire alarm, so we dashed out. Everyone stood outside for a while and the lady who works there came and told us the "fire brigade" was on their way bahahaha. I think that's just fabulous...the "fire brigade..." What wasn't fabulous was having my passport and important documents waiting to be burnt to a crisp inside my drawer int he room. Fortunately the alarm was a false one, but we still got to take great pics wtih the cute men of the London "fire brigade."
We set off and went to Abbey Road first. We nearly got run over about a million times trying to take the famous Beatles album pic. Unfortunately we didn't get any especially wonderful and authentic shots seeing as the stupid traffic was busting down the street like whoa. It was fun though.
After that we went to the London Science Museum, which was fun. We only saw two floors out of 5, but I was very happy as the two floors we did see were about medical history, which I find absolutely fascinating. It was the best exhibit I've seen in a museum in a long while.
The pics will be on facebook soon...there are so many...
And so after THAT we went off to Harrods. OH.MY.GOD. It was like a fairy wonderland. If I'm ever rich I'm going there to stock up on chocolates and EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD. It was the most breathtaking experience so far on this trip. Jenni kept yelling at me to shut my mouth cause my mouth was gaping in amazement ahahah. Too funny.
Anyway, everyone left and I wanted to wander around more before so Erin, Rosanna, and Katie stayed with me. We went to The Feathers (our favorite pub hangout) on the way back for dinner (which consisted of a Fosters on tap and a plate of chips [french fries] for me).
It was a really great day. Tomorrow is The Tower of London, which is the most haunted place in the UK. Apparently Anne Boleyn haunts that place all the time. And so many others. It should be wonderful.
And now it's 11:50pm London time, nearly 7pm EST.
Time for bed. Or...uploading more facebook pics...
'night!
Alright, so what have I been up to? Well, let's start off by saying that it's nearly 10pm, London time. Making it 5pm EST.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
We went to Southwark Cathedral. We got to pray for a few minutes and then learned all about the cathedral's history. Apparently a few cool people were buried there, including Shakespeare's brother and some bishop from the 17th century who translated the bible. Cool.
Then we went to The Globe and got a fantastic tour of the premises. It's obviously not the original Globe theatre, but it's an incredibly authetic life size replica of it, a few hundred yards away from the original location. It was absolutely amazing. The tour guide was quite amusing as well. You have to love a good tour guide...
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Sundayyy, Erin and I woke up wicked late and got ready. We went off to God knows where to see Into the Woods at this cute, intimate little theatre in the outskirts of London. We were in a smaller residential area, so it was really cute to see that sort of place rather than all the hustle and bustle of the inner city.
The show was wonderful! I might be biased because it's my favorite show of all time, but still...very good. Lots of good singing, cross-dressing (gotta love how the stepmothers and stepsisters are crossdressing men in all the shows), and the characters were part of the pit by playing instruments into t he show. It was pretty cool. I loved it.
Afterwards, Erin and I grabbed dinner at the pub downstairs from the theatre. We ate some sammiches mmm. We saw the cast of the show milling about the pub and that was really cool. I thought the baker's wife was the prettiest girl in the world. I was jealous.
Erin and I attempted to get home and it took about two hours hahaha. We had to take a bus somewhere and all these trains...it was crazy. Then I spent hours on the phone with Brian when I got home. It was great. A nice relaxing evening.
Today, Monday January 5, 2009
We got up and looked outside to see wetness and snow. So gross, but it was the first sign of precipitation since arriving in London, so that made it somewhat exciting. The weather quickly turned to crisp, but dry. We had class from 9:30am until 11am, but Sabine was late because her wake up call never came, so class didn't start til nearly 10am. We were all quite fine with that.
After class we had some break time. I watched some weird morning British show for a while. At noon we all went over to a genuine Spanish food restaurant. It was rather disturbing. The food just wasn't for me. I had some salad, bread, a bit of chicken, and a meat ball. Hahaha. There was other stuff, including rice and kalimari, but I just wasn't all that hungry or interested.
After lunch we went to the UK version of CVS, Boots. I got some more shampoo, conditioner, and bar soap, cause my body is demanding when it comes to keeping it hygienic. After that we stopped by our rooms at the hotel before journeying out. As we were abotu to leave, Erin and I heard a deafening beeping and buzzing noise. My RA instincts kicked in and I knew it was a fire alarm, so we dashed out. Everyone stood outside for a while and the lady who works there came and told us the "fire brigade" was on their way bahahaha. I think that's just fabulous...the "fire brigade..." What wasn't fabulous was having my passport and important documents waiting to be burnt to a crisp inside my drawer int he room. Fortunately the alarm was a false one, but we still got to take great pics wtih the cute men of the London "fire brigade."
We set off and went to Abbey Road first. We nearly got run over about a million times trying to take the famous Beatles album pic. Unfortunately we didn't get any especially wonderful and authentic shots seeing as the stupid traffic was busting down the street like whoa. It was fun though.
After that we went to the London Science Museum, which was fun. We only saw two floors out of 5, but I was very happy as the two floors we did see were about medical history, which I find absolutely fascinating. It was the best exhibit I've seen in a museum in a long while.
The pics will be on facebook soon...there are so many...
And so after THAT we went off to Harrods. OH.MY.GOD. It was like a fairy wonderland. If I'm ever rich I'm going there to stock up on chocolates and EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD. It was the most breathtaking experience so far on this trip. Jenni kept yelling at me to shut my mouth cause my mouth was gaping in amazement ahahah. Too funny.
Anyway, everyone left and I wanted to wander around more before so Erin, Rosanna, and Katie stayed with me. We went to The Feathers (our favorite pub hangout) on the way back for dinner (which consisted of a Fosters on tap and a plate of chips [french fries] for me).
It was a really great day. Tomorrow is The Tower of London, which is the most haunted place in the UK. Apparently Anne Boleyn haunts that place all the time. And so many others. It should be wonderful.
And now it's 11:50pm London time, nearly 7pm EST.
Time for bed. Or...uploading more facebook pics...
'night!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
TwilightStar1014: i legitimately miss janice time
I am beyond exhausted. I hardly slept last night for no reason really...I just got into another Jodi Picoult book and I can never seem to put her books down. Even when it's 5 or 6am and I have to be up in 3 hours or so.
Once again I'm up late, and it's 2:30am here in London.
Edward Scissorhands was amazing Friday afternoon. I would see it again in a heartbeat. The music, sets, dancing, and just EVERYTHING made it one of the absolute best performances I've ever seen...ever. So fantastic. And beautiful. I laughed and cried and got shivers and everything. Very wonderful.
Blah once again I don't have the energy or will to finish a decent post. And I've only posted not even half the almost 300 pics I've taken in the past two days. Oh man.
Do comment.
Once again I'm up late, and it's 2:30am here in London.
Edward Scissorhands was amazing Friday afternoon. I would see it again in a heartbeat. The music, sets, dancing, and just EVERYTHING made it one of the absolute best performances I've ever seen...ever. So fantastic. And beautiful. I laughed and cried and got shivers and everything. Very wonderful.
Blah once again I don't have the energy or will to finish a decent post. And I've only posted not even half the almost 300 pics I've taken in the past two days. Oh man.
Do comment.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Bah.
It's 2am and I was just in the mood to blog, but now I am not.
But Edward Scissorhands was absolutely fantastic. Like, mindblowingly fantastic.
And tomorrow I'm seeing a pantomime of Cinderella :)
Sunday's a free day, so we'll see where that takes us.
Good night.
But Edward Scissorhands was absolutely fantastic. Like, mindblowingly fantastic.
And tomorrow I'm seeing a pantomime of Cinderella :)
Sunday's a free day, so we'll see where that takes us.
Good night.
Good Morning!
It's 11am here in London, which means it's about 6am back home. Just got out of class for the day and decided to blog a bit before heading upstairs to rest before lunch.
This afternoon we are seeing the Edward Scissorhands ballet!!!! So excited. Should be very interesting. At the very least I will absolutely love the music! So good. :)
The beds here are so comfortable and warm I find myself not wanting to wake up in the morning. Also, I've been talking in my sleep. In fact, Erin and I find ourselves takling to each other in our sleep because we can feel ourselves doing so. So bizarre. Oh well.
I need to figure out where I'm going next weekend...I'm thinking Ireland will be what happens...Just about 30 american bucks to get to ireland? I'm down with that. Should be wonderful. Any advice or tips are welcome :)
Alright, off to go bathe in my 1 square foot of showerspace. :)
Hope all is well in the States<3!
This afternoon we are seeing the Edward Scissorhands ballet!!!! So excited. Should be very interesting. At the very least I will absolutely love the music! So good. :)
The beds here are so comfortable and warm I find myself not wanting to wake up in the morning. Also, I've been talking in my sleep. In fact, Erin and I find ourselves takling to each other in our sleep because we can feel ourselves doing so. So bizarre. Oh well.
I need to figure out where I'm going next weekend...I'm thinking Ireland will be what happens...Just about 30 american bucks to get to ireland? I'm down with that. Should be wonderful. Any advice or tips are welcome :)
Alright, off to go bathe in my 1 square foot of showerspace. :)
Hope all is well in the States<3!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Yet Another Post Today...Huzzah!
I just realized I didn't mention in my last post the performance that I saw...Well, I posted a picture and intended to write a little blurb about it...but I didn't. Anyway. We saw our first performance yesterday...the 2:30pm matinee of Twelfth Night, with Derek Jacobi (Don't fear if you don't know the name, just know that he's famous) and Samantha Spiro, whom I recognized from the last episode of Coupling.
It was really a great performance. It stunk that we were all exhausted beyond belief, but oh well. It was still quite enjoyable. We saw it at the Wyndham Theatre, which has been around for...forever...I can't quite remember all the history right now. Still so tired...
And I have about 40 pages of reading to do for class tomorrow...ugh!
We have an 1.5 hours long class session every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning from 9:30am-11:00am. Then on those days we have a bit of a break and then go out for some lunch. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we go on "excursions" to different places around London. Today, for instance, we went to the National Portrait Gallery and looked at portraits of historical England figures...mostly studying the theatre peoples. Very cool.
We are seeing about 10 shows while we're here, in the afternoons and evenings. It's wonderful. For the most part we are on our own for the evenings, fending for ourselves with dinner and exploring.
I'm on the computer in the lounge room in the downstairs of the "hotel." Our group is discussing how people are incredibly rude at the restaurants. We got turned away so much, it's ridiculous, and the way we've been treated in some places is stupid. The best we've been treated have been in some of the pubs, so I like it in those places.
Oh there's so much more to tell... I can't really think chronologically though. I can just think of moments. Seeing people completely passed out on the road on New Years, getting treated by policemen...being made fun of by Londoners for being such a tourist...Rachel calling out to the British man at the pub, telling him his voice is sexy...reading British Cosmo, which is so much raunchier than ours...keeping our Fosters and Magners on the window sill to stay cold, because it's freezing by the window (and pretty much everywhere else) in our room...
The "hotel" we're in, Vandon House, is quite nice. I share a double room with Erin and we have a horrible bathroom, but that's cool. And a television with 4 channels that work whenever they want to. ONly one of the channels is halfway decent, only because they show Friends at like, 8am. And then The Simpsons. So much for watching British television in London. I guess I'll have to continue to do that just in the States.
I am now facebook friends with all those Brits we met last night. They tagged a pic or two of me and apparently I'm an "Interesting American." Hmm...
Well, I should go do that reading for class.
Edward Scissorhands the ballet tomorrow? Mmm :)
Comment! Cheers!
It was really a great performance. It stunk that we were all exhausted beyond belief, but oh well. It was still quite enjoyable. We saw it at the Wyndham Theatre, which has been around for...forever...I can't quite remember all the history right now. Still so tired...
And I have about 40 pages of reading to do for class tomorrow...ugh!
We have an 1.5 hours long class session every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning from 9:30am-11:00am. Then on those days we have a bit of a break and then go out for some lunch. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we go on "excursions" to different places around London. Today, for instance, we went to the National Portrait Gallery and looked at portraits of historical England figures...mostly studying the theatre peoples. Very cool.
We are seeing about 10 shows while we're here, in the afternoons and evenings. It's wonderful. For the most part we are on our own for the evenings, fending for ourselves with dinner and exploring.
I'm on the computer in the lounge room in the downstairs of the "hotel." Our group is discussing how people are incredibly rude at the restaurants. We got turned away so much, it's ridiculous, and the way we've been treated in some places is stupid. The best we've been treated have been in some of the pubs, so I like it in those places.
Oh there's so much more to tell... I can't really think chronologically though. I can just think of moments. Seeing people completely passed out on the road on New Years, getting treated by policemen...being made fun of by Londoners for being such a tourist...Rachel calling out to the British man at the pub, telling him his voice is sexy...reading British Cosmo, which is so much raunchier than ours...keeping our Fosters and Magners on the window sill to stay cold, because it's freezing by the window (and pretty much everywhere else) in our room...
The "hotel" we're in, Vandon House, is quite nice. I share a double room with Erin and we have a horrible bathroom, but that's cool. And a television with 4 channels that work whenever they want to. ONly one of the channels is halfway decent, only because they show Friends at like, 8am. And then The Simpsons. So much for watching British television in London. I guess I'll have to continue to do that just in the States.
I am now facebook friends with all those Brits we met last night. They tagged a pic or two of me and apparently I'm an "Interesting American." Hmm...
Well, I should go do that reading for class.
Edward Scissorhands the ballet tomorrow? Mmm :)
Comment! Cheers!
London Update/Pics finally :)
It is really silly to see that my last post was on December 31st, when in fact I updated at 4am January 1st, London time. This time difference is part amusing, part pain in the ass. I hate coming onto the computer for my 5 minutes of internet glory, only to log onto AIM or facebook and wonder why the hell nobody's online. Then I quickly do a bit of math in my head and realize it's 4am in Massachusetts. Which wouldn't be an issue if people back home followed the same sleep schedule I do and stay up all night, but we can't all be as cool as I, I s'pose.
Another pain in the ass thing about London is the speed of the escalators. Seems like a really silly thing to be concerned about, yes, but you have no idea...the escalators here are like, sped up to twice the speed of our typical Massachusetts escalators. This wouldn't be a problem if I had any sort of sense of balance at all. Seeing as I don't, I just sort of awkwardly hop and wobble onto the speeding steps, and cling onto the rails for dear life. Meanwhile I have someone lecturing to me about the amount of germs a study found on the rails of escalators and he's lucky I have to concentrate on being able to stand up, cause I would have given him an unpolite response to that information.
Also, I've almost been run over approximately 239487238947 times. Drivers here don't stop when you go to cross the road (even at a crosswalk), they just honk loudly and speed up. It's worse than any city I've ever been to....with Montreal as an exception... And it certainly doesn't help that they're driving on the left side of the road, so I look to my left as I walk into the street and they're speeding at me from the right!
Considering those are my only huuuge complaints about this city, we're doing well so far. Other complaints about the city include their food (honestly, it's hit or miss around here...), their drinks (i haven't had one decent alcoholic beverage since we left the plane, seriously. not even the wine or beer tasted good!), and the fact that they freaking close everything by 11pm. The shops close around 5pm, the restaurants stop serving food as early as 8 or 9pm, and you can't sell drinks at pubs after 11pm. So lame.
Haha in other news, I'm enjoying this city so much it hurts. I've walked around the city for the mostpart of the last couple of days, and it's been brilliant. Probably 25+ miles so far, if not more. So my legs are sore, but that's so good...such a change from sitting around at home.
The buildings are so gorgeous. The streets are lovely. Everythings just so much nicer looking than back home. It's truly the most stunningly beautiful city I've ever seen in my life. I'm completely in love with it. I can't wait to discover more about it.
I swear I'll update on a more positive note next time. It's just I cannot even find the words to describe how fantastic this city is....I guess I could try a little bit right now...
The accents. This one is obvious. I could sit and listen to British conversation forever, I swear. And I pretty much have been...
The Underground. The tube here is so much more efficient and faster and amazing than the T could ever be. Truly the best public transportation I have ever seen. You don't wait hardly at all for a train and you can get virtually anywhere with ease. I absolutely adore it and I'll despise going back to Boston after this experience.
The chocolate. As a woman experiencing London for her first time...with her period...it's been lovely having so much Cadbury chocolate around. All the British chocolate I've experienced has been just so much better than home's. There are different kinds of candy bars and everything, including some weird kind that says "not for girls" or something to that effect on the wrapper. Odd and funny.
The architecture. Oh my. Take a look at my picture albums linked below. The buildings are stunningly beautiful and we can't get enough of them. It is truly breathtaking.
The history. I am hoping that speaks for itself. We went to the National Portrait Museum today and looked at all of these incredible paintings of people from so far back in history...and I learned so much just by looking at the mini-bio's of the people in the paintings as well as their portrayal and expressions. People seemed restless being there (mainly because everyone's been exhausted), but it was a really great and fascinating place. Got to love King Henry VIII and all the other royal figures...
Just learning about theatre in London is incredible. I can't believe I'm experiencing this. And I still have two weeks to experience so much more here. My pictures really show and tell so much abotu the trip thus far, so I hope you look through them and enjoy them.
The New Years shots are few, but fun. We actually came across these two British people, Nichola and Tom, when they asked us to take their picture for them. We ended up conversing, and Tom and I were essentially chatting each other up, joking and basically entertaining our friends. Apparently we're two fo the same person, and I took that to mean we were "obnoxious little shits." No one disagreed ;) We met their friends, Ashley ( a male, who goes by Benjamin or Horatio or anything else other than his actual name), Helen, and Aaron. They were really great and we had a good time talking and whatnot. Tom made fun of American politics and then I learned some cockney. Good times.
I got to experience New Years on the Waterloo bridge overlooking the Thames, with fireworks going off above The London Eye and the London skyline (with Big Ben, Westminster, etc) in the background. Absolutely gorgeous. An experience I will never forget.
Then we nearly went off with the Brits, following them in a chain of the bunch of us, holding hands and trying to make our way through tens of thousands of people in central London. We eventually got to the train station, where we parted ways and the Westfield State crew hopped on a train home to our hotel.
Oh what a night...
Anyway...the pictures I have posted thus far, viewable in public facebook albums (you don't have to be on facebook to view these pictures):
I hope you enjoy the pictures, some of them are of really fantastic places, and my pictures dont' really do them justice.
Anyway, it's 3:51pm London time (nearly 11am MA time??) and I should go nap.
Please leave comments and love and I miss y'all :)
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