Forecast: sunny skies & scattered rock n' roll

Sorry I didn't post yesterday - it was a late night, and I was exhausted! And I've been really good about posting so far, so I don't feel so bad about skipping one day here and there :)

Yesterday was a fairly slow, relaxing day, which was nice for a change. It was still really cold (yesterday and the day before were permeated with biting winds and cloudy skies) so I spent most of my free time inside rather than out. We had class in the morning from 10-12:45, which is about normal. We had planned to go see a matinee, but Rodger and Lance cancelled it at the last minute. They preview everything before taking the group, and this one was raunchy enough that they decided it really wasn't appropriate for them to endorse it - besides, they said it was a really poorly written script and just tacky all around. However, since they'd already bought the tickets, they told us that we could go anyway if we really wanted, but they were definitely NOT endorsing it. I didn't go, and I'm glad I didn't. The few students who went said it was just lame and crude. It got really great reviews, and so far none of us can figure out why.

Anyway, since we didn't end up going to a matinee, I spent the afternoon finishing a paper that had to be turned in by 5 (yes, I do have homework here, believe it or not - I just didn't for the first few days as we got settled in). I also went through a guidebook or two and made a list of things I want to see and do while I'm here. I've run out of automatic to-sees, so I needed a list for my free time every day!

A small group of us decided to go see a play called "Anderson's English" last night. The script was fantastic, and the set and how they used it was ingenious, but I didn't particularly like the acting. Since acting is my focus in theatre, that meant I didn't enjoy the show as much as some of the others who went, but I still definitely enjoyed myself. It was a worthwhile night at the theatre. Essentially, it was about the relationship between Charles Dickens and the people around him, primarily his family and Hans Christian Anderson. The story reveals how troubled Dickens' home life was, and shows the slow disintegration of his family. (Definitely a Drama/Tragedy.)

On to today! This morning, my roommates and I went to Bloomsbury, the neighborhood that holds the University of London. It's a very student-friendly area: cheap eats, lots of parks to lounge and do homework, and some really cute used bookstores. So far, I think it's my favorite area of London. It's got a very friendly, social vibe to it. And cheap food is definitely ok with me! I got lunch in the area, at a sushi place called Samurai Sushi. They had some hot dishes and some pre-made bento boxes, or you could build your own bento box. That's what I did. I just browsed the refrigerated shelves of individual sushi rolls and took one or two of each of the ones that looked tasty. I really liked doing it that way, because then I could have a large variety, and I could choose exactly how much I wanted to spend. Each roll was between 40 and 90 pence. I think I ended up with 4, plus a salmon onigiri, for just a little over 3 pounds. Score! It was SO good. I haven't had sushi in way too long.

After lunch, I headed over to the Tricycle theatre to see Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" with our group. It was the craziest Shakespeare show I have ever seen!!! Picture this:
1) garage band/rock n' roll: the set looked literally like someone's garage band; actors randomly burst out into rock n' roll with Shakespeare's dialogue as lyrics
2)multiple characters played by the same actor: including Viola and her twin Sebastian. For those of you who are at all familiar with 12th Night, you know how difficult that makes the ending. Wow.
3)a rather unattractive middle-aged man in nothing but bright yellow briefs and thigh-high stockings: this was the costume of choice for Malvolio after he reads the letter he thinks is from Olivia. Eww. Gag. Cry. But laugh out loud funny!!!!!!!
4)Sir Toby creatively, um, drinking? a tequila: first, he snorted the salt; then he downed the shot of tequila; then he shoved the slice of lime in his eye. Ummm....... And once the audience calmed down a little, Sir Andrew immediately admonished us to not try that at home. Ok. I'll remember that.
5)actors interacting with the audience: handing out pizza in the middle of the show, taking hats and jackets to use as costumes, throwing squishy balls, and generally causing mayhem
Ya. This was Shakespeare...I think. They did use Shakespeare's language. I laughed REALLY hard, and loved it 100%! It was a refreshing dose of real creativity.

After the show, I wandered Kilburn High Street for a couple of hours. It's very ethnic - lots of middle eastern shops and restaurants. I felt a little lost, because I couldn't read half the signs and I couldn't understand most of the people. But I got some yummy clementines, and I visited a Primark for the first time. It's essentially the London version of Kohls. Super-cheap and mostly cute clothes. I got a couple of plain undershirts for a pound and a half each (that's about $2.25 each) and a pair of sunglasses for a pound ($1.50). I mean, it's a great store for cheap clothes, but it's not uniquely London, you know? It's just a clothing store. So I probably won't go back unless I get SO sick of the 10-ish shirts I brought with me that I just have to get something new.

I love you all!! I'm going to go read a play and write a response paper or two now. Meh. Homework. Cheers!

-Paige