Edinburgh, Antiques, and Plans

Thursday was another quiet day, consisting of time with Grandma and a trip in to downtown Newcastle for some shopping. (I needed a guide to Edinburgh, although my Auntie Denise printed out maps and information for me as well.) In addition to visiting Waterstone's, Catherine and I wandered around Primark and Fenwick's for a good chunk of the afternoon. We had dinner at her house with Adrian and Denise, which was fun, although I arrived back at Grandma's house later than I had planned.

On Friday, I spent the day out by myself in Edinburgh. I had gone there at least once as a child, but I only remember bits of it. I took the 6:25 train out of Newcastle, so I was there a little after 8:00 AM, giving me plenty of time to wander before any of the sights opened. I began my visit by walking to Calton Hill, which is an open park area with several monuments and memorials. The air was cold and rain was inevitable, but the views from the top of the hill were incredible, and I was glad that I stumbled upon that area. (And, because the city was still asleep, it felt very peaceful.) As the clock inched toward 9:00, I made my way back up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle. (As I found out, the castle actually opens at 9:30 rather than 9:00, but I waited and was relieved to be toward the head of the queue...yeah, I said "queue"...more British by the moment...) I spent about two hours wandering the castle with the audio guide. My favorite part was St. Margaret's Chapel, which is actually the oldest building in Edinburgh...it was small and simple, but I thought that the simplicity made it more beautiful. I had tea in the cafe before heading out, and my next stop was at the tartan weaving mill next door to the castle...the machines used for weaving the tartans are huge and noisy, so I was only there briefly. (Which reminds me: I saw more men in kilts in one day that I think I ever have before, including the Scottish regiment at Trooping the Colour.) I spent the next bit of time at the Camera Obscura, which I remembered slightly from a childhood visit. Essentially, the building has a series of lenses and mirrors which can project the activity on the street below onto a small white table on the top floor. When I was little, I thought it was magic, plain and simple, and even though I know how it works now, I still thought it was magical (so those of you who thought that my cynicism was out of control can see that I am still able to be enraptured and humbled by simple things like lenses and mirrors). My favorite part involves the use of cards to pick up cars and people on the road below (I remember being little and wondering what was happening to the real cars below while we were playing upstairs). The rest of the museum is pretty cool as well, with displays on holograms and optical illusions (including a hologram of a telescope that you can actually look through). As I was finishing up on the last floor, the fire alarm went off and the building was evacuated. I had planned to wait and see what was going on, but when a firetruck arrived, I thought that I should probably make my way along rather than wasting time. My next stop was the Museum of Scotland, where I only checked out a few choice exhibits. (I wanted to see the cast of the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots, since I had already seen the original at Westminster Cathedral in London.) I particularly enjoyed an exhibit about Scotland Today which featured interviews about what it means to be Scottish. On my way back to the Royal Mile, I checked out the memorial to Greyfriars Bobby and stopped for tea and shortbread at The Elephant House (the cafe where JK Rowling began writing the Harry Potter books...thanks Amelia and Drew for the recommendation!). I ducked into St Giles' Cathedral just as the rain started thundering down, which was a beautiful and peaceful space. I also stopped by Canongate Kirk, which was much more modern, but still a beautiful house of worship. As I continued down the Royal Mile, I visited the Museum of Childhood, which was charming. My favorite exhibit was a collection of doll houses, which were so intricately detailed and gorgeous. Just as I was preparing to leave, the heavens broke again, so I loitered in the gift shop a bit longer before biting the bullet and going out into the rain. I made my way to Holyrood Palace (for which I had allotted time in the afternoon) only to discover that it was closed due to a visiting official. Instead, I went into the Scottish Parliament building (I was searched on the way in, but did not find much of personal interest) then back to the Queen's Gallery to see the exhibit of conversation portraits (which had an excellent audio guide). I stayed there until they closed, at which time I still had about an hour and a half before my train was due. I visited a small cafe for dinner (leek and potato soup...can't get much more Scottish than that if you don't fancy haggis) before making my way back to the train station. The ride home was easy, although it started pouring outside again as soon as I reached the Metro station closest to home. (It was fine though...I stayed under shelter for five minutes with three local guys and we chatted about lousy Newcastle weather.)

Yesterday was another quiet day: time with Grandma, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. I went out for dinner with Adrian, Denise and Catherine at a restaurant that is part of an inn in the country, which was lovely. The views along the way were beautiful, especially as we were coming back with the sunset. (And I have now discovered the joy of panna cotta and fudge ice cream!) Today was similarly quiet. I went over to Grandma's for Holy Communion (one of the ladies from the local church brings it to her and they have a lovely little ceremony in her room, which I attended, as well as one of Grandma's neighbors), then went to an antique sale with Denise and Catherine. We spent a fair amount of time picking over a heap of silver jewelry that was being sold by weight (I found three lovely rings), and I bought a beautiful vintage silver dress with exquisite beading (the ladies I bought it from had purchased it at an estate sale in North Yorkshire)...that definitely wins the prize for the best five pounds I have ever spent. :)

This evening, I finally planned out my return south: I will leave Newcastle on Tuesday (August 4) for London, spend all of Wednesday in Cardiff (finally getting to Wales! And for only £10 on the bus!), and fly out on Thursday morning. Catherine is coming with me, so I will have some company in my final days. In the mean time, I'm soaking up Newcastle sights and heading over to Auntie Brenda's for my final weekend. :)

Rapid-Fire Update

The lack of internet access in Newcastle will probably result in posts such as this one for the rest of the trip: general and brief. (Although questions will certainly be welcome at a later time!) Here's the running list of events since my last post:

Spent the last full day in the Lake District shopping downtown before going out to a free concert in a cafe in the evening with my cousin Catherine. We later went to a pub nearby and listened to bad karaoke (as opposed to good karaoke?) before heading back home. The next morning, we all went to the Sheep and Wool Centre (mainly to buy tea towels and postcards...exciting stuff, I know) before our trek back home...the two hour journey took almost four hours due to a traffic accident and the windy country paths. Amelia and Drew flew out the next morning.

In between family dinners and visits to Grandma, my parents, Catherine, and I managed a day trip to Raby Castle and Barnard Castle, both sights which we had not visited before. The grounds at Raby Castle were beautiful, and I have never seen so many deer in person...we walked along the path to get as close to them as possible, and it was amazing to watch them running together and protecting the babies. Barnard Castle is in ruins, but still contains amazing sections, including an original staircase leading to an upper level. A great day out (even though I wanted to fall into a curry coma as a means of recovering from the previous night's dinner...).

Yesterday was my last day with Mom and Dad here, so we visited Grandma and went to the Metrocentre to do some shopping. Mom found a new Illusion ring, and I just enjoyed spending some time with her here at the end. I've cried a lot over the last 24 hours, usually in short bursts, and I probably will for a few more days, but I still have so much to do while I'm here and I know that I will be home sooner than I can believe.

I spent most of today with Grandma and Catherine. My Auntie Brenda came over this morning to help Grandma with some things (as she does weekly), and it was nice to not be completely alone. Catherine and I (after several hours with Grandma) visited Bill Quay farm (which included some beautiful piglets!) and walked in the woods nearby before coming back to her house. Most of the evening has been spent planning the rest of my time here and trying to book trains, etc...I'm going to Edinburgh on Friday, but beyond that, anything could happen. :)

First Few Days in the Lake District

After much anticipation, I am finally back in the Lake District, staying with my Auntie Brenda and Uncle Tom. The house and surrounding countryside is just as beautiful as I remembered, and it is such a peaceful change from the city.

After my last entry, I left the library and met up with my cousin Catherine for some quick shopping (just taking advantage of being downtown), then went back to my grandma's house for tea. Once the rest of the family returned, we piled into the car and went to visit my great-Auntie Hilda in her flat. I had been warned that she was getting pretty frail and that the dimentia was really setting in, but she was as much of a spitfire as always, and incredibly excited to see us. (She took a liking to Drew in particular, and kept saying how much she loves boys...check back in about 70 years, and you will probably find me in a similar state!) We also stopped by to see my Grandma on the way home (who was having tea with her friends, so we just had a quick visit). We stopped by again the next morning (again, catching her having morning tea) to say adieu before heading over to Brenda's house. We took our time with the journey across, stopping at a walled garden that we stumbled upon, one of the forts along Hadrian's wall, and the site of the ancient temple of Mithras (which, of course, brought back memories of reading "The Crystal Cave" several years ago). The countryside grew more and more lush as we traveled along, and I am still enthralled by the sheep and cows in the fields (such a city girl, I know...). We spent the evening settling in at Brenda's, but did a bit of exploring the next day in town.

On our second day over here, after a brief spin through downtown Cockermouth (including a trip to the auctions to check out the wares), I went to Whitehaven with my parents to see the coast. The wind was pretty wild while we were there, but the sun was shining, and the view down into the town itself from the hills was quite stunning. (We actually saw a few boys jumping off the pier into the water, which was reportedly freezing!) As we were making our way through town early in the day, we met a delightful sight: a newborn calf with wobbly legs (whose mother, standing nearby, was complete with hanging afterbirth). The city dweller strikes again! In the evening, I opted to go back into Cockermouth (the nearest town) for a theatre event, since it seemed like one of my best opportunities to see a show while I'm up north. The two one-acts ("Unholy Congregation" and "All About Adrian") were by a local playwright, Michael Spencer, and produced using local artists and actors. To be honest, my expectations were exceeded (although they had not been incredibly high), particularly in terms of the writing itself. The venue (Kirkgate Theatre) reminded me a bit of BAC, which was comforting.

Today, I went with my parents over to Carlisle (a little less than an hour from Brenda's) to see the castle and pick up Amelia and Drew from the train station (they spent the last few days in Edinburgh). The castle had some interesting history of which I had not been aware (only the second place that I have heard referred to as "the key to England"...the other was Dover), and there were some pretty rustic places to explore, including the storage cellar that was converted into a dungeon (definite haunting potential!). This evening, we had dinner at the pub down the lane...we'll see what adventures tomorrow brings!

Malabar, Gateshead, and the Library

After much searching, I finally found a way to gain Internet access in Newcastle (no, the city is not that backward, just seriously lacking in internet cafes): the public library. Given, I had to wait about 45 minutes after reserving a computer time, but I read about half of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's new book, so the wait was not in vain.

When I last updated, I was over at Adrian and Denise's house getting ready for dinner/a night out with Catherine. We went to South Shields at about 9:30 for the finale of Saturday's festivities for the Mouth of Tyne Festival: a parade and performance by a group called Malabar, which depicted the birth of the sun. The parade was really spectacular: performers in colorful costumes on stilts with a huge praying mantis and copious amounts of pyrotechnics. Sign me up! :) The performance itself was Cirque du Soleil-esque...lots of movement segments to tell the overall story. There were also a fair number of acrobatic sequences, using supports which were suspended from the praying mantis's head (musicians played on it's back), and the performance concluded with the most incredible fireworks display I have ever seen...I knew that something would make up for my missing Independence Day this year! (Although, truth be told, this put "Freedom Blast '08" to shame...the entire show felt like Indy's grand finale!) :)

Yesterday, we piled into the car and explored some of the local history near Gateshead, including the ruins of the ancient monastery at St. Paul's (where there has been continual Christian worship for 1300 years, not to mention the pagan worship that most likely took place there before the conquest) and the pedestrian tunnel at Jarrow which crosses under the Tyne. (Very chilly in the tunnel, and a very slow-moving wooden escalator.) Later in the day, we met up with my Uncle Simon, Auntie Ann, and my cousin Sarah (my other cousin Christopher was on a school trip in the Lake District) and went to see the Angel of the North, a huge statue that has become a cultural icon of Northern England. I do not remember seeing it up close on our last visit, but it is absolutely massive. (My uncle asked me if people outside of the UK actually know about it...I seriously doubted that many of them even know that England contains more than London, but my American readers are welcome to comment away!) The eight of us went out for a pub dinner afterwards (always a fun place to spend the evening), and on our way back, my group stopped by to visit my Grandma. (She was already in bed at that point, since her carer helps her get ready, but she was wide awake and seemed really glad to see us and hear about our day.) We are planning to try to see her again this afternoon, as well as visit with my great-Auntie Hilda (who I recall as being a little spitfire...that's where I get it!). Tomorrow, we are heading west to the Lake District to spend a few days with my Auntie Brenda and Uncle Tom, with plans to stop along the way at some of the sights that we have not yet visited. Prepare for fascinating historical updates (or, at least, prepare to be jealous of me for spending time in a cottage in the Lakes with an aunt who is an excellent cook...all of the weight I lost on the "Budget-Minding College Student Walking Around London Diet" should be back by Saturday...).

The Northern Migration

My loyal readers must be wondering what happened to me by now...three days without blogging! She must have dropped off the face of the earth! I'm still here and kicking, obviously, but I've relocated to the North (gasp!). Here is my brief update of the last few days...no promises as to when the next post will be, as we're still trying to find an Internet cafe up here (hence the lack of posts recently), but I will continue to keep you updated as I can.

My last day at BAC was lovely...just a few quick tasks throughout the day, mainly involving striking the Grotowsky exhibition...taking down the cinema set-up was just as fun as putting it together. :) We had a brief rehearsal prior to the YPT performance, which included teamwork exercises. Four-square in a theatre with lighting equipment is a dangerous activity, and I find it ironic that this was the only "sporting event" I attended in the UK. The show was perfect...I could not believe how wonderfully it went, and the director and producer were equally amazed. The sand effect was wonderful, and the audience (all 15 of them) really enjoyed it. We all deserved a performance like that after the rehearsal process, and I could not have been happier with it.

After the show, I quickly put away some of the props from the building, said my goodbyes, and hopped on the bus/tube to catch the 10:00 train to Newcastle. I have to go back to London...I missed my coworkers within ten minutes of leaving them. :) Amelia and Drew met Mom and me at King's Cross, and we spent the next four hours or so en route to Newcastle. It would have been much more interesting had it not been dark outside, but the trip was not too bad. By the time we arrived at my grandma's house, I felt ready to drop...I am staying in my Uncle Paul's old room, which is characterized by the yellowed walls and a phantom tobacco scent from years of being inhabited by a smoker...perfect for me after two months in London. I slept more soundly than I had in quite a while...it was weird being in the house without my grandma or Uncle Paul there (Grandma moved into assisted living a few months ago, so this is the first time I have ever been in the house without her there), but the house still has so many fond memories and it is nice to be in an actual home after my two months of temporary housing.

Thursday was spent just getting reacquainted with the North. I visited Grandma, which was great...I was able to go on my own, and her flat is really nice and cozy. She seems really happy, and it was almost surreal to actually see her after such a long time. I took Amelia and Drew back over there later, to find her in the common area at the end of the hall with her friends having tea. I think this was the first time I've ever seen her interact with non-family members, and it was obvious that everyone there adores her. By the time she came back to her room, her carer had come to help her get ready for bed, so we opted to head out with plans for a visit later. The three of us went into town with plans of hitting up a Boots and a bookstore (medicine for Amelia, who had been feeling ill, and a book for me), but everything was closed by that time of night, so we ended up wandering the bankside for a while before returning home.

Yesterday was a day out, beginning with Alnwick Castle (about an hour and a half from my grandma's house). The castle is ancient, currently housed by the Percy Family, and famous to the modern audience for being the location for several films and television series (most notably Kevin Costner's Robin Hood and the first two Harry Potter films). It also contains amazing gardens, including one made up entirely of roses, and one of poisonous plants (which requires a tour guided to visit, as it is behind locked gates), as well as a gigantic tree house. We spent the majority of the day at the Castle and Gardens (I went on tours of both the castle grounds and the filming locations), before continuing our journey along the coast. We also went by Bamburgh Castle (stopping to visit one of the local churches which contains the post that St Alban leaned against as he was dying as well as the grave of Grace Darling, a heroine of the area who saved several survivors of a shipwreck and became a national celebrity), continued along to Warkworth Castle (which was closed, although we walked around the perimeter), and St. Mary's Island. We also stopped at Seahouses for fish and chips (amazing!) and walked along the shore for a while.

Today was another random day...visit with Grandma, trip to Tesco, and an evening with my Auntie Denise and Uncle Adrian and my cousin Catherine. Evening out with Catherine impending...there's a festival going on at the bankside today and tomorrow, and we're headed to a parade tonight. More stories to come...:)

"Time Was": Corrina's London Premiere

It's been a long couple of days, but now I can officially say that I have successfully opened my first London show. Many more to come, I'm sure. :)

After working for a bit on Sunday, I retreated back to the hostel and spent most of the remainder of the evening reading (either on the balcony off the kitchen or atop one of the bunk beds by the window in my room). I met my roommate for the night (just the two of us on Sunday, but two other girls joined us last night), who is another student, but from France. We actually ended up having breakfast together this morning: me with my tea and toast, him with his coffee and cigarette. (Add one beret and we would have the most stereotypical Frenchman ever!) Considering that this is my first hostel experience, I'm really enjoying it...the place is simple but it has everything I need, and I feel really comfortable.

Yesterday was a mess...I spent a good chunk of the morning acquiring 90 kilograms of sand for the hourglasses. After my bus and taxi adventures with these six huge bags of sand, I discovered that the play sand I was sent to buy would not work (it is moist because it is intended for sculpting purposes, so it would not run through the hourglass). I bought new sand this morning (fortunately, someone was going to the paint shop next to the hardware store and they drove me), but the question still remains of when the play sand will be returned. I also discovered yesterday that in regards to the hourglasses, "I'll take care of it" means "I'll buy the plastic and Corrina will take care of it"...not exactly what I wanted to hear at that point. I can think outside the box if necessary, but not with a ticking clock and a looming dress rehearsal. I constructed the cones, but still seriously doubted that they would contain the weight...they held up fine, but that was when we realized that we had the wrong type of sand. Rehearsal last night was a nightmare...the kids would not focus and we did not even make our way through the entire show (which, considering it's short length, was pretty ridiculous). To add to our fun, the roof began leaking just as we were about to begin, which meant that we could not use any of the lights for fear of it leaking onto the grid. The canes that I painstakingly painted did not show up (which meant that I spent several hours today covering them in white paper which would show up under blacklight), and and the cones were not in the air for the final sequence. Needless to say, I had a large list prepared for today, all of which I managed to accomplish...with one slight hiccup. Josh, my technician, asked me to copy another technician's prototype and prepare the cones for rigging. At this point, I was already in panic mode about my to-do list, and I simply did not feel that it would be safe for me to prepare a bag of sand to be suspended in the air above the heads of children. I also felt like he was not listening to me and just being generally condescending, which was not the best way to spend my day with all of the preexisting stress. It worked out in the end...two of the other technicians took care of the cones and I could focus on my work (which was fortunate because I barely had enough time for everything as it was). The dress rehearsal went fairly smoothly, and the performance was very well received. I took care of props and did all of the fly effects, while Josh oped. And the hourglass effect at the end did not work. It worked in dress rehearsal, but Josh changed the mechanism and it did not work during the performance. It was out of my hands at that point, which was exactly where it should have been, so I'm not mourning the effect at all...just something to do tomorrow. As stressful as the last two days were, I'm really glad that I had this experience, and I felt great after the show. (The fact that Luke bought me a Stowford Press didn't hurt, either...just what I needed at that point in time!)

In non-BAC news, I finally got to see some of my family last night...though not the relatives you might be expecting to hear about during my England trip. My mom took the train down and met me right after the dress rehearsal (perfect timing, as I was ready to hack my head off at that point), and after much searching, we found Amelia and Drew at their hotel. The four of us went out for dinner, and it was nice to be back with family again. I suppose that the end of the night stood out the most, when we all went our separate ways home...since I've always lived either at home or in the dorms, it was odd not to be either going home with Mom or dropped off by her. I think the realization that I'm basically an adult is slowly sinking in with this experience...

Hootananny Hostel, Hamlet, and Sunday at BAC

Since my days at Nido are over and the Hootananny Hostel does not have an internet cafe, my posts will now be slightly more retrospective...but I'll still try to keep them just as informative and fun as always. :)

I made my escape yesterday morning...I didn't think that I had acquired quite as much stuff as I had, so moving everything out was a challenge. Honestly, the only thing Nido really had going for it was the location, and I'm glad to be somewhere else that does not claim to be any better than it is. The trip on public transportation was interesting, to say the least. Imagine, if you will, a small American woman with a day bag slung over one shoulder, two grocery bags filled with household items clutched in one hand, and a rolling suitcase grasped in the other. Add a sweaty brow from the humidity outside and nearly teary eyes from when she inevitably took a wrong turn, and you have me yesterday around noon. I'm not sure whether my arms and shoulders ache from carrying all of my stuff or from sleeping in awkward positions. I will say, though, that once again I was able to depend upon the kindness of strangers...I found a pub in my wanderings, where they directed me to my hostel, gave me a glass of water, and made sure I had the pub's phone number before I left just in case I got lost again. (Later in the day, the memory of that moment actually moved me to tears. People can be much kinder than we give them credit for, especially when they can tell that you need help.) Finally, after one last bus ride (which, inevitably, left from the very place where I began), I made my way to the Hootananny Hostel, situated above a pub in Brixton. It is a pretty cool place, and after one night there, I suppose that I would recommend it. I am staying in a four person room (last night I was the only woman), which seemed like a better bet than a twelve person room. I slept decently last night...the guy on the bunk above me was snoring like a banshee, and there was noise from the pub when I was first falling asleep, but after the long day, I could probably have slept anywhere.

After I checked in at the hostel, I went to BAC for our YPT1 rehearsal. The kids were not as focused as last time, but it wasn't awful. We worked on some of the transitions between scenes and then attempted a stumble-through. We made it a little more than halfway through, but we should be fine for tech tomorrow. I'm actually back at BAC at the moment (yay for computer access) since I needed to do some prep for tomorrow, and Josh (our technician) is working on hanging all of the masking/fly stuff so that we can focus on lights tomorrow. The building is really quiet right now...I think that one group is rehearsing upstairs, but other than the duty manager, Josh is the only other person I've seen so far.

When YPT1 rehearsal ended last night, I scurried across town (relishing in my last day of my unlimited Tube pass) to Leicester Square to see "Hamlet" at Wyndham's Theatre. I loved it, and not just because of the star power. Jude Law was fantastic, pretty face aside. To be honest, I was surprised by his performance...there's always the possibility of casting just for the name, but he was very powerful and worked well with the ensemble as a whole. Penelope Wilton, as Gertrude, was wonderful...and she is a very sweet lady as well. I met her after the show as she was leaving, but she was willing to sign my program and seemed touched that I wished her well with the remainer of the run. Kevin McNally was Claudius, and for the first time, I did not feel as though that character was seething with guilt from the very beginning. Honestly, up until the confession scene, I would have assumed that the murderous plot was just the figment of Hamlet's imagination. I told Mr. McNally that after the show, and he said "I agree. He's a fine fellow until he confesses." So now I will never watch any of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga again without thinking of Shakespearian villains. The production as a whole intrigued me because Hamlet's descent into madness did not really have a clear breaking point...in fact, the opening sequence showed him alone on the stage with almost etherial lighting focused only on him and ghostly whispers as sound effects, almost alluding that he was either mad to begin with or that his father's ghost was only something he saw because he wanted to see it. (I have my theories about how I would approach this subject in general, but I won't bore you with them now.) It was an excellent production, especially considering that I had never seen "Hamlet" live before. (Nor have I seen quite that many screaming fans in a compact space either...Midwestern girl that I am, I did not shove my way to the front of the crowd to have my progam signed by Jude Law, but I did snap some photos of his lovely face before he disappeared inside again.) And apparently, Ken Branagh was there last night as well, although I did not see him...that may have sent me into Shakespearian overload. :)

One more fun thing: I met a Spaniard last night who spoke limited English, and I was able to use my minor again. According to this man, I speak Spanish very well (which makes me think that he was just surprised that I could speak it at all), but either way, it was nice to be able to make someone happy with my language skills. (We talked about how crazy Jude Law's fans were and how I was going to wait by the stage door after they left in case he came back...he didn't, but at least I tried.)

Today I slept in (although, technically, I don't think that I got any more sleep than usual because I went to bed late and woke up so many times in the night), then showered and had breakfast at the hostel. I had planned to go straight into BAC, but as I was on the bus, I passed St. Mary's Church in Clapham and decided that I should just go ahead and go to Mass at noon (it was about 11:30 at this point). I'm really glad that I did now...it was the golden anniversary for one of their priests, and I really enjoyed his homily and his overall attitude...very kind and welcoming. Of course, this led to me crying a bit again on the bus when I considered all of the kindness I have been shown here. Cynical as I am, I'm finding so much human kindness here, and the thought of leaving this place that has become another home to me is very difficult to swallow. I still have several days, though, and a lot to do before I head up North, so I am going to try to focus on the present rather than my impending departure. :)

Random Sights, Waterstones, and Leicester Square

Today was my last Friday in London for a while...I know that I will be back at some point, but it will be really difficult to leave.  I'm not sad about leaving Nido, though...bring on the hostel!  :)  We had our final Professional Development Seminar, discussing Global Trends and Analysis.  The Cine Lumiere was incredibly warm, and the number of bodies crowding it did not help, so they shortened the session slightly to keep us from all becoming ill.  I wandered around a bit in the early afternoon, catching up on some things that I had planned to do eventually since this was one of my last chances.  I started by going to Westminster Cathedral to see the view from the tower...once again, I was struck with how close everything actually is.  Since I ride the Tube everywhere, the city seems huge, but from my view, it is all actually pretty compact.  And the view was stunning...not to mention the cool wind that can be felt from that height!  Today is the feast day of St. John Southworth, whose body is enshrined at Westminster Cathedral, so when I arrived, they were just finishing the midday Mass and his body was on display...definitely not an experience that I am used to!

Next, I went to the National Theatre to buy a copy of the script for "England People Very Nice."  I had planned to see it again with my mom this week, but it turns out that this is their dark week...bummer.  Ah well, now I have the script to relive the experience.  Since I was on the southbank, I wandered along to Borough Market for lunch...it's definitely an experience.  I passed on the ostrich and venison in favor of a boring chicken and veggie pasty (something that I still had not tried, despite being here for almost two months).  After my picnic came the highlight of my day: I went to Waterstones, snuggled up in an armchair, and read for two hours.  And it was wonderful.  :)

In the evening, I went to Leicester Square (always fun on a Friday night!) to see "A Guide to Sexual Misery" in the basement theatre.  It didn't really fulfill my expectations...either the reviewers all went on a really good night or they have a far different sense of humor from me.  (From what I had read, I expected to be rolling in the aisles...the only chuckles I had were from audience antics.)  However, when it ended, I was able to slip into the upstairs theatre (shhh!) to catch the end of Miss Polly Rae and her Hurly Burly Girlys (who, honestly, I should have just come to see rather than this show).  The part of the show that I saw was fantastic, as always, and it really made me wish that we had a similar venue at home.  (Anyone interested in opening a comedy/burlesque club with me?)

Painting and 24 Pesos

Based on EUSA's set dates for the program, my internship officially ended today.  Very sad.  Based on reality, however, I still have rehearsals on Saturday and Monday, as well as next week's performances before I really have to say goodbye.  It's a bit hard to swallow right now...I may have found another home in London and at BAC, so leaving will be much more difficult than I foresaw.  I have learned so much, though, and I am so glad to have had this experience and met all of the wonderful people that I encountered.

I started my day with YPT tasks: sent out my rehearsal report from last night, then went out to the courtyard to paint the canes for one of the sequences.  It was warm out, but the shade felt lovely.  The cafe staff was all in a rush because of an event in the Grand Hall.  I did not get all of the details, but it was some sort of government gig, and the Prime Minister was there (I, however, was hidden away).  Because of this, the building was much busier than usual, which was not aided by the heat.  After lunch, I did some random set-up for YPT2 (projector, screen, microphones, etc)...if they had not been moved to a room with blazing sunlight coming through the windows, it would have been much more pleasant (and easier for the projector to actually project!).  During set-up, though, I discovered a room of random furniture, some of which I hope to use during the YPT1 show next week...hopefully this will all work out as I foresee now.

Tonight was the last cultural excursion for EUSA (I skipped the farewell banquet last night in favor of rehearsal), so I opted to go to the Scoop again for a concert.  The opening act was Tom Hickox (of whose name I took note because, drawn as I am to cute piano playing men, he seemed like someone on whom I might have a crush by the end of his set).  I enjoyed his style, shallowness aside...his voice definitely grew on me (somewhat Steve Rothkopf-esque in the sense that you can tell that behind the attempt at pop music there lies classical training), and I forgave him some of the cheesier lyrics.  :)  The main act was a quartet called 24 Pesos, and they were awesome.  They varied between soulful blues and upbeat swing, and I loved it.  It was the type of music that is made to be danced to, although the pace of the dancing might vary.  Plus, the band was obviously having a really fun time, which made them even more enjoyable to watch.  My one complaint (as always) was the audience...if I had young children, I don't think that I would let them run around a concrete amphitheater crowded with strangers.  And if I had friends with me, I would not talk through every single song, particularly those of the opening act (it can't be easy to attempt a soulful ballad with a keyboard with screaming children running in front of you).  That's just one person's opinion, though...and a quiet, seated person at that!

YPT Day

YPT day, so I was in for my adjusted schedule.  I still left Nido relatively early (slept about an hour and a half more than usual, but wanted to get out because my roommate was still around...apparently, her boss said that she is not needed for this last week, so I will probably not get any of my much-needed "Corrina alone time" for a while...).  My first task was picking up glow paint from Flint's Hire and Supply, which is near Elephant and Castle.  It was obnoxiously hot when I walked to and fro from the bus stop, but I thoroughly enjoy theatrical supply shops, so the trip was worth it.  I'll start painting tomorrow...

When I arrived at work, I did some YPT prep (still hunting for some random prop items), then killed my time before YPT by doing some cable labeling (now we're adding BAC labels to some of them to prevent accidental thievery...).  Sam arrived a little after 4:00, and we had a brief production meeting to discuss next week's schedule and the remaining to-do list with Josh.  I should have a relatively eventful day tomorrow as I prepare.  We have one last casual rehearsal on Saturday afternoon (which means that Saturday will be a crazy day in terms of running around for me), then get-in on Monday morning, tech on Monday night, final dress on Tuesday afternoon, and opening on Tuesday night.  I'm excited...it's going to be a pretty tech-heavy show, especially for YPT standards.  We may have some flying as well, so I will potentially be backstage rather than up in the booth (I have found that most ops are self-sufficient here, so Josh will probably just handle all of the lights and sound and I will keep backstage sorted).  Rehearsal tonight went surprisingly well...I'll admit, one or two of the kids could use a good smack now and then, but the focus tonight was so much better than usual.  The kids blamed the heat...Sam suggested that we bring in heaters next rehearsal.  :)