In celebration of the number Five, want to start this off by saying the top 5 buzz words on my mind, and the first 5 I think of are what I will write about:
1. Hostels
2. Bananas
3. John Barton
4. Theatre
5. Sewing Kit
Alright. Wasn't quite sure where those would lead me. But I'm gladly going on.
(Really, #4?)
1. Experience of searching for hostels... commence! Update: I am NOT the only step-child under the age of 26 of an airline employee with special flying privileges that I know! I mean, I already knew this, but it never dawned on me that asking my dear old friend to join me would be considered more than a joke. However, dire Purple Crayon marketing problems lead to international phone calls lead to "hey, wanna travel in Europe with me? Ha-ha-ha. Wait. No. Ha-ha-ha. That's...no, still funny ha-ha-ha. I can't tell if you're joking." Nonetheless, we weren't joking. Thus, moral of the story, I need a hostel for 3 nights after BADA before I meet Jordan in Paris. Interesting. That is, 3 nights of little girl by herself in a big city much larger than any Chicago in a hostel. YES. THAT IS MY LIFE. ROCK ON.
I, of course, have managed about five minutes of hostel-searching before wanting to puke/hyperventilate, but a. I am a strong woman. I can handle this. This is what being under 35 (that's prime/legal hostel age) and adventuring in Europe is all about and I am ready. and b. I found one called "The Monkeys in the Trees" that is a "boutique" hostel and has pretty art-deco beds in all-female rooms. :) I'LL DO WHAT I HAVE TO DO.
2. Not only bananas, but apples. So many apples. So little fridge.
If you haven't guessed, eating as a basically-vegetarian gluten-free acid-reflux-diet individual is quite difficult...anywhere, but especially in a British dining hall properly titled The Buttery. Let's also add that, in an improv exercise today, when a classmate threatened to harpoon another classmate, fry them up, and serve them in The Buttery, people were not all that surprised or horrified. I'm talking, like, cod and haddock the size of a chihuahua being served to us nearly daily. Or the odd homemade bacon/cheese hot pocket. Once, ONCE, only once, the rarity, the gem-- there was ice cream. One small scoop of ice cream. But by George do I have four bruised brown bananas freezing in my mini-fridge.
In other, more tasty news: Shakespeare's Milkshakes is the greatest novelty in all of Oxford. No churches, no Harry Potter-- milkshake creations themed off of Shakespeare's most popular plays. Think of it as a greatest hits album-- in your mouth.
3. Wow. Oh, wow. What can I say. He is a living legend. He was already a living legend twenty years ago, and yet he still is brilliant and demanding and inspiring. Apparently, eating and breathing Shakespeare's texts for your entire adult life makes one's brain athletic against aging. Other great life lessons I learned in last night's surprisingly 2+ hour observation of the master at work:
- When in doubt, always look for the antithesis.
- The text has to be my words found in the moment. (That's right, all other people! MY words! Ha-hah! I now own all roles.)
- It's dangerous for an actor to bang an "and" or "but". (.... don't go there.)
- Shakespeare writes in arguments. What is the situation you need to speak to at that moment? How do you make people listen?
- "Taste it, and start to understand it." (the words, the sounds)
- Best quote of the evening: "The first 'universal' is 'learn the lines'". (GOSH. The one universal truth lies in actors! We are blessed... and screwed.)
4. I'm not... what? Really? I choose "theatre". OK. Let's see.
Oh, right, I meant the place, the entertainment of theatre. That's a lot easier.
Wednesday, we escaped from Oxford (on a weekday, am I right, rule-breakers?!) to London to see the famed Woman in Black, a 24-year-long-running show-- "the most terrifying live theatre experience in the world." So, what was I doing there? *Can we also please note that I am talking about the play, not the movie. Important.* In our first week, our friend Gabe tells Juli and me that we have to go see this show: he's never been more scared in his life, one image still haunts him, blah blah blah blah why would I ever want to do that?? And yet, as the die-hard theatre tourist that I am, I couldn't pass this up. Neither could Juli, thank goodness, and we promised to hold on to each other for dear life. We ended up buying tickets in different price sections, but here's two ways we did end up close to each other:
a. Extreme nausea from the top of the 2-hour double-decker bus there. Almost getting locked in the Pret bathroom because all we needed to do was... And so we were massive sick babies. All others = hungry = (probably) not pleased.
b. Josh and I were stuck in the back row. The very back row. As in, row negative zero very very steep back row. The show wasn't even that scary in the first act, but we were literally on the edge of our seats. It was quite entertaining, actually, watching everyone try to grow their necks an inch further every time the people with the real seats below us made any sort of reaction. Whilst the hovering usher woman watched us knowingly the entire first act, making sure we didn't snipe any "better" nosebleed seats, I devised a plan to call Juli and pounce on any open seats near them. Oh, yes. We moved down into the LOWER MEZZANINE for EASY and FREE during intermission. So close. So not the price Josh and I paid. :)
Tomorrow in London, the bravest of us (somehow I'm on the only one from NU involved...) will be standing as groundlings for a Globe performance of Henry V. That's right. Quite possibly the best show to be a groundling for. And for quite possibly the best price: 5 pounds. (Am I seeing a connection, number Five?!?!) 5 pounds, 3 hours, 1 Globe.
Who knows what the evening performance we'll see is, but it sure as heck won't be Ghost.
5. I brought one small jacket. Not warm enough or rain-proof, so I did buy a new one. BUT, this coat is good for all slightly-dressy-casual outfits I need or any off-summer-off-fall days, where the temperature waivers just within the area of comfort for this jacket. It is salmon, coral, do what you will. It also, as of before Wednesday afternoon, had a loose button. ("Awwwww", groans from the audience.) But Josh, dear Josh, is a saint and fixed it for me with my handy dandy sewing kit on the bus ride to London Wednesday-- no scissors, no correct color of thread... he is Beyonce with a needle. (weird image)
OK! That was mayhaps the most uneventful, unhelpful entry as to what has been going on here. But you like that, don't you?
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