Update on Sept. 29 through Oct. 5

I just want to warn you all that I didn't read through this update to double check for grammar, etc., so bear with me!! I miss and love you all!!!

Friday, Sept. 29: We had our day trip to Blenheim Palace, and it was amazing! I loved it there. I must say that it was very different to go to a secluded community (one person’s house, in fact) instead of a small town. Although all three places were definitely tourist attractions, Cambridge and Canterbury both had so much to take in that it was hard to concentrate on each thing. Yet with Blenheim Palace I could concentrate on all that was being said during the tour, really learn the history of the place, and let myself explore without feeling like I had so much more to look at. The Palace was gorgeous. In fact, the current Duke (I believe he is the 11th or 12th) and his family live there. We were not able to see their living quarters, of course, but we saw the rest of the Palace. The grounds around the Palace were absolutely gorgeous as well! I would love to live there! Especially back in the day when there weren’t so many distractions; I’d want the Pleasure Gardens to be there as well as the two herds of sheep! The games (giant chess, checkers, and mazes) were so much fun; the labyrinth was a blast (especially with the massive water masses to ford!!); the Adventure Playground reminded me of the wooden playgrounds at Princeton’s South Elementary (K-2); the lavender garden was intoxicating; the Butterfly house had gorgeous wildlife (plants, butterflies, turtles, fish); the trees were all so different around the property; the grass was so beautiful; the sheep were so fuzzy we couldn’t help but want to cuddle with them (see pictures for a story on my sheep adventure with Simon and Walt); and the lakes, although manmade were spectacular. At the chapel up the hill from the palace, they were having a wedding! The whole experience was just a blast. I think it also helped that I was obsessively taking photos!!! This was the first trip that I did that, but it was well worth it :)

To see photos from Blenheim Palace, check out: http://smumn.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006473&id=173300088&l=441f8.

That night was Beppe’s last night in London, so of course we had a going away party. Although we were going to go out, we ended up staying in the theatre boys’ flat and just hanging out. It was an amazing time! I really enjoy spending time with the ‘foreigner’s’ (ha! as if we aren’t!) including Beppe and Max from Italy and Sandra from Sweden. I have met more Italians (Raoul, Guilia and Ellouisa) since then, and they are all so much fun! The girls are always so bubbly and excited to see you. Exactly my kind of people!! And the shower of hugs and cheek kisses is always a perk as well :)

Saturday, Sept. 30: A very chill day. I slept in late and spent the rest of the day rotating between reading and napping :) That evening Lindsay and I went to the library and checked out a couple movies (Hook and Fight Club) for the boys, and we watched Hook that night. It was so awesome! I love that movie! I could watch it over and over and never get sick of it!!! After chatting for a while, I got hungry and decided to eat a little, then go to early (about midnight – which is quite early for me in London).

Sunday, Oct. 1: I spent the entire day with Mac and Walt. First I woke up around 9:45am. I was going to go with Brookly, Kris, and whoever else on a walk with Bob (he takes those who want to on a brisk walk around different parts of London every Sunday at 10am), but I was definitely not going to be ready in time, and I felt like getting homework done. I ended up reading all of Chapter 2 of International Business (only 2 more chapters to go!), napping, then showering. It was the most wonderful shower in the world; I felt so gross from waiting so long that day. Anyway, I wanted to reheat some of my noodles from supper the night before, but we have a blown fuse and I couldn’t use our microwave, so I went downstairs and used the boys. Well Walt needed to go get more coffee mugs for his flat, and Mac and I were going to Tesco already, so the three of us went together after lunch. After Tesco, we dropped off our groceries and headed to the Knightsbridge tube stop, where the three of us went to H&M and got my new coat (gorgeous!), then to Mobile World to get Walt’s parents a cell phone (they flew in today to visit here for a week, then travel Europe for a week), get Mac and I hair dye (I dyed the bottom layer of my hair a brighter red – so much fun! – and Mac went to a lighter brown/red with highlights), and finally eat sushi.

That night I went to Three Kings with Schares, Walt and Becky to meet up with Skjerven, James (the boy from Brooklyn who lives with the Italians now), Max, and two Italian girls (Guilia and Ellouisa). Walt, Schares and I ended up having a deep philosophical conversation about missionaries and other such religious things. It was pretty exciting sports bar talk :)

Monday, Oct. 2: Monday was a relatively dull day. I went to European Business in the afternoon, read for International Business, checked my e-mail, and spent a lovely evening watching The Wedding Date with Mac and Brookly. It was a nice, calm day. I’m pretty sure it was icky out, but either way I just wanted a chill day.

Tuesday, Oct. 3: We went to the Tate Modern art museum for Art in London. It was a really interesting trip. Oliver had us split up into pairs and choose a section to explore. Brookly and I chose the States of Flux collection, which ‘focuses on Cubism, Futurism and Vorticism, also presenting work which reveals an interest in change and modernity.’ What a blast! I was a little too slow for Brookly and ended at the same speed as Walt, who was partner’s with the quick-paced Schares, so we became partners. I love looking at art with him; we feed off of each other’s comments very well. It’s nice because we are both serious about it, but we throw in some random goofy comments as well. Last week we kind of paired up at the National Gallery too, which is where we first noticed we were good partners. (Don’t worry, Chris, it’s just art :)) Anyway, we spent like an hour looking at one piece. I can’t remember who is was by, or what it was called, but I can picture it in my head!! (I’ll have to find out those details!) It was quite the fun time. We want to go back and finish that section before class next week because we didn’t even finish that one section of the museum. I guess when we got back to the Tate for class next week we’ll let him know what issues we had with the pieces we explored this week, and he’ll take us around to those specific pieces and try to explain them to us. I’m sure that there will be some that he’ll agree with us are completely bogus, but I know he’ll help a lot with the borderline pieces. Most of what Walt and I saw this week was paintings/collages/pictures and some sculptures, nothing too outrageous, but it was pretty interesting. We’ll be able to see the crazy stuff next week during class if we don’t get to it when we go back on our own.

After class, Lindsay, Walt and I went to Camden Town and got Lindsay’s nose pierced. I found a sweater to wear for my bumblebee costume that I can wear when it’s not Halloween as well, a simple sterling silver ring that I totally love, and another Londonesque scarf to match my new red coat! We walked further into Camden Lock, another marketplace near Cold Steel (where we got pierced), and fell in love with that area, and we’re definitely going back. I also got a shorter stud put in my lip (because I am no longer need extra room in case of swelling). I like it a LOT more now. It’s not so bulky and in the way, and I don’t bite it or play with it as much!

Shortly after we got back, I went with Bryan, Pat and Tim to Three Kings to eat 241 (two meals for the price of one) and watch the first game of the Twin’s versus A’s playoff series. Brookly, Lindsay, Mackenzie, Neil, Zac and Nina also came at random intervals to finish the game with us. We had a blast watching the game on couches around the big screen upstairs at Three Kings, but… sad day… the Twin’s lost 3-2. I heard they also lost the second game, but it’s a best out of five game series, so hopefully they will step it up tonight! It’s fun to have a little Minnesota pride while I’m here, especially because I know I’d be watching the games back home with Chris and his roommates!

Wednesday, Oct. 4: This was a double musical day! After class I went with Erin, Mac and Brookly to get tickets for Cabaret that night. Then I came back, ate and left again to get rush (discount) tickets for Le Miserables with Lindsay and Andrew. We ended up getting 50 lb tickets for only 20 lbs because we were students!!! My International Student Identity Card has definitely paid itself off repeatedly!

Le Mis was AMAZING! It is now one of my all-time favorite shows. What was so amazing about it was that it was all based on a real event. The people were so believable and the music was so phenomenal. I am definitely getting the music from Walt! Or I’ll just have to borrow his iPod whenever I want to listen to it. I thought that the way they showed how the ‘cop’ committed suicide was amazing! They had him standing on the stage, on the outside of a bridge railing with stars above him. All of the stars and the bridge were on pulleys, and when he supposedly jumped, they lifted them the make it look as though he was falling, although the whole time he was standing on the stage. They had the sound of water, and they used the lighting very effectively. He then fell onto the ground and rolled as though the current was taking him away (they had a circulating centerpiece on the stage that also helped me him). They used the circulating centerpiece so well throughout the entire show! Not only to change scenes, but to show the passage of distance, and, as Andrew pointed out to us afterward, time. Lindsay and I definitely cried a few times… it was such a touching show!

Cabaret was very different from the version Saint Mary’s did last year. It was dark throughout the entire performance, and only got darker. The Kit Kat Club had male and female dancers in very scantily clad black outfits. At points they even wore nothing. This was very effective at the end when they were trying to represent them dying in a gas chamber. I am always so moved by this show, and this time was no different. Although I really enjoyed how Saint Mary’s had a big contrast from beginning to end, used the stage well (with tables along the edge), and had full-out dance numbers, I also thoroughly enjoyed how this version had a real gothic feeling, showed a full range of sexuality issues well, and ended without shooting the MC (although I also loved how they shot the MC in the Saint Mary’s version). The lighting was also amazing in this show. *Sigh* What a great night!!!

Thursday, Oct. 5: After Global Issues, I came back to the flat, showered, and then went pants shopping with Mac. Mac was going to help me find a pair of jeans that actually fit me (all of my pants are actually too big for me… oops!). We went to the four-floor Top Shop at Oxford Circus and found a magnificent pair of jeans! We also found a great top :) Most importantly though… I found out that I have a body! And a butt! Hehe!!! It was a great day! Mac is always fun to bond with :) Her sense of fashion is sooo much better than mine too. Okay, let’s be honest, I don’t even have a sense of fashion, but I’m getting better!

Tonight has been very relaxed. I read for Global Issues next week, put away my laundry, showed off my pants to every new person that came in, got a new belt and new shirt from Mac (because she realized that she was never going to wear them), and wrote the second half of this beautiful entry.