Well, it's officially been 2 weeks since I got back to the US. And those weeks went quickly - I'm all moved back into school now.
Whenever people ask how my travelling was, I pretty much always respond 'Amazing, I want to go back already.' And I do. I really hope it will work out at some point.
There's not really much more to say, but I didn't want to leave this blog without some sort of final post. If anyone is still reading this and wants more, I'm going to be doing a school blog. It won't be daily (I can pretty much guarantee that...) but anyway, if you want to, it's http://boilerup2014.blogspot.com/
Cheers,
-Carly Stenger
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Celtic Touring
Yay for internet access! :D
We're in Galway right now, day one of our 3 day Ireland tour. I don't want to write out all that has happened since I last posted, so I'll share some highlights.
Scotland:
We flew into Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon and walked pretty much the entire length of Heathrow airport. My mom said she didn't know we were walking to Scotland...
When we were driving in from the airport, I was the only one with a decent map - from my guidebooks - so I was the navigator to our lunch. The book also recommended a burger place, so that's where we went. It was a cute little place and when we walked in, the CD that was plaing was Bob Marley - we liked it :D And the burgers were really good, even if I had to eat most of my veggie burger with a fork once it disintegrated.
Edinburgh Castle was quite the impressive sight - up on top of a cliff-hill.
The next day, we drove to Inverness - a city in the Highlands. My mom and I read a series of books set in the Highlands, so we were excited :D
We only stayed in Inverness for a night - the next day we went back to Edinburgh to fly to Dublin. We planned to have some time to walk around Edinburgh for our flight and wanted to see the Elephant House - where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book.
What we didn't plan for was the insane amout of people that had arrived in the day we were gone. It took us a while to finally find the cafe, and we couldn't stop so my dad dropped us off to take pictures while he circled the block.
An hour and a half later, my mom and I were on the phone with the police to see if there had been an accident when my Uncle Mike came to tell us that my dad had made it back. Half the streets were blocked off, so he had been diverted left and right until he was on the opposite side of town and completely lost.
With that lovely delay, we didn't make it to the airport in time to check in to our flight, so we missed it. At least we didn't have to be anywhere that night. Besides, we're on vacation :D
We got booked on the next flight to Dublin - which was at 7.50 - and went to wait in the pub that we could get to before going through security. Our original flight was at 3.20, so we had a bit of time to stall and decided to eat some dinner.
Ireland:
Our next planned trip was to Waterford, Ireland the next day (yesterday). My Aunt Kelly works for Waterford, so it was fun to see the factory in Waterford. We got to see the Cinderella carriage that took 4 months to make - and it was only €25000 since we weren't EU citizens (v. the €30000 it would be if we were), so my mom and I thought we should go for it ;] My dad didn't agree for some reason...
We also went to the Guinness Storehouse once we were back in Dublin. That was pretty cool to see - and my dad enjoyed it. We all got to taste a little bit about halfway through, and then all the over 18s got a pint with our ticket. My mom doesn't like beer (that might be a bit of an understatement...) and I had a headache so I didn't want to drink very much of mine, so my dad got 2.5 :]
Then it was time for our tour to start - we got up pretty early today so we could get to the pick up place. I took a two hour nap and woke up in time to hear our guide singing a bunch of songs - evidently Galway girls will break a man's heart, Brown-haired girls are awesome (obviously :D) and Patty had a tough time hauling bricks so he wrote to his boss to explain why he wasn't at work.
Holy sheep. They're everywhere!
We got to walk on an Irish bog - there are a lot of bogs here, and they use the turf to fuel fires. That was pretty cool - really spongy too.
And now we're chilling in our hostel in Galway and enjoying the internet :] While walking around, some stores had different opening hours on different days, and the only reason I know what day it is is because my watch tells me. My mom and I both love being on vacation :D
Tomorrow we go to Kilarnney, then back to Dublin the next day, and then it's home again home again. If I have internet again, I'll update again :]
Till then,
-Carlito
We're in Galway right now, day one of our 3 day Ireland tour. I don't want to write out all that has happened since I last posted, so I'll share some highlights.
Scotland:
We flew into Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon and walked pretty much the entire length of Heathrow airport. My mom said she didn't know we were walking to Scotland...
When we were driving in from the airport, I was the only one with a decent map - from my guidebooks - so I was the navigator to our lunch. The book also recommended a burger place, so that's where we went. It was a cute little place and when we walked in, the CD that was plaing was Bob Marley - we liked it :D And the burgers were really good, even if I had to eat most of my veggie burger with a fork once it disintegrated.
Edinburgh Castle was quite the impressive sight - up on top of a cliff-hill.
The next day, we drove to Inverness - a city in the Highlands. My mom and I read a series of books set in the Highlands, so we were excited :D
We only stayed in Inverness for a night - the next day we went back to Edinburgh to fly to Dublin. We planned to have some time to walk around Edinburgh for our flight and wanted to see the Elephant House - where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book.
What we didn't plan for was the insane amout of people that had arrived in the day we were gone. It took us a while to finally find the cafe, and we couldn't stop so my dad dropped us off to take pictures while he circled the block.
An hour and a half later, my mom and I were on the phone with the police to see if there had been an accident when my Uncle Mike came to tell us that my dad had made it back. Half the streets were blocked off, so he had been diverted left and right until he was on the opposite side of town and completely lost.
With that lovely delay, we didn't make it to the airport in time to check in to our flight, so we missed it. At least we didn't have to be anywhere that night. Besides, we're on vacation :D
We got booked on the next flight to Dublin - which was at 7.50 - and went to wait in the pub that we could get to before going through security. Our original flight was at 3.20, so we had a bit of time to stall and decided to eat some dinner.
Ireland:
Our next planned trip was to Waterford, Ireland the next day (yesterday). My Aunt Kelly works for Waterford, so it was fun to see the factory in Waterford. We got to see the Cinderella carriage that took 4 months to make - and it was only €25000 since we weren't EU citizens (v. the €30000 it would be if we were), so my mom and I thought we should go for it ;] My dad didn't agree for some reason...
We also went to the Guinness Storehouse once we were back in Dublin. That was pretty cool to see - and my dad enjoyed it. We all got to taste a little bit about halfway through, and then all the over 18s got a pint with our ticket. My mom doesn't like beer (that might be a bit of an understatement...) and I had a headache so I didn't want to drink very much of mine, so my dad got 2.5 :]
Then it was time for our tour to start - we got up pretty early today so we could get to the pick up place. I took a two hour nap and woke up in time to hear our guide singing a bunch of songs - evidently Galway girls will break a man's heart, Brown-haired girls are awesome (obviously :D) and Patty had a tough time hauling bricks so he wrote to his boss to explain why he wasn't at work.
Holy sheep. They're everywhere!
We got to walk on an Irish bog - there are a lot of bogs here, and they use the turf to fuel fires. That was pretty cool - really spongy too.
And now we're chilling in our hostel in Galway and enjoying the internet :] While walking around, some stores had different opening hours on different days, and the only reason I know what day it is is because my watch tells me. My mom and I both love being on vacation :D
Tomorrow we go to Kilarnney, then back to Dublin the next day, and then it's home again home again. If I have internet again, I'll update again :]
Till then,
-Carlito
Friday, July 29, 2011
My bag is obese!
Bloody hell, today was our last day in London.
So, a few days ago, I woke up and looked at my watch and read 8.52 - I didn't have to be anywhere, but Nicole did. However, when I warned her, it turned out to actually be 8.25. Then, this morning, I woke up and looked at my watch again. I thought '8.81, that's an odd time' before I realised that it actually said 8.01. I need to stop reading my watch right after waking up - evidently I'm slightly dyslexic at that time of the morning.
Nicole and I met my family to see the Changing of the Guard this morning at Buckinghal Palace. That was really cool to see, even if we couldn't hear the mini concert-type thing in the middle. Lots of pomp and circumstance.
After the ceremony, Nicole and I stalled in a Pret before it was time to go to the tea. I had a chocolate croissant and apple juice - I'm really going to miss those...
Then it was tea time! :] The place we went to, Fortnum and Mason, was apparently one of the best places to go have tea. It was really nice too. The china was light blie and there was this lemon cornbread thing that was served - it was really good. And I think I like tea now, and the tea there was yummy too.
I was a rather bittersweet feeling there. I can't believe that we're done, and it's weird to think that most people are going to be leaving tomorrow. Like I said, rather bittersweet.
Nicole and I walked out of the store with Jasmine, and she asked that we text her later so we didn't have to say good bye there. Nicole gave her a hug, and I said That's why we don't say good bye, we say See you later. I'm going to miss those two.
Nicole wamted to keep hanging with me and my family, so I invited her to join us on the river tour. At first she was saying how she didn't want to intrude on family time, and I said she wouldn't be. She insisted that I call my mom to verify, and when I did my mom said that she thought it was a great idea.
The river tour was interedsting, even though I've seen most of it already, much of it up close. Nicole likes my family, and they seem to like her too. It made me happy :D
After the tour, the group split up. My dad and Uncle Mike went to the Tate Modern while Mom, Ricky, Nicole and I went to King's Cross and Platform 9 3/4. We took our pictures and got some food, then the groups rearranged - Mom and Ricky joined Dad and Uncle Mike at St Paul's while Nicole and I went back to our room to start packing.
After a little while, we went to the Apollo Victoria Theatre - where Wicked is running - to see Mark Evans one more time at the stage door. However, it was a shorter trip than we had anticipated, so we were rather early. To stall, we went to the pub next door and I had one last Pimm's while we people watched. There were two guys that we thought were cute, but then they walked out to smoke and immediatly lost all of their appeal.
After we were done with our drinks, we still had time to kill so we sat on a bench in the train station (it's right across from the theatre). I read Gregory Maguire's section about writing Wicked in Nicole's programme, and there was one quote that I really liked: 'The consolation of the imaginary is not imaginary consolation.' Story of my life.
When the show was over and the crowd gathering at the stage door, we joined them. I think Nicole was going to have a heart attack when he signed her iPod - she's been super careful with it ever since :] A very good way for her to end her stay in London :D
Then we returned to the room to finish packing. I swear all this stuff fit when I packed in June, there's no way it multiplied and expanded this much... O.o Nicole brought 2 bags, and when she said that one was probably going to be over 50 pounds, she said 'My bag is obese!' It made me laugh :D
As we packed, we were listening to the Wicked soundtrack and singing along while eating our midnight snack pizza. An amazing last night together. I'm really going to miss that girl.
Tomorrow I need to get up early so I can check out of my room and join my family for breakfast - all the food I have left is a half a bag of pasta and some milk - my dad said I should eat them together, I said maybe not :] Then we fly to Edinburgh - I'm so excited! I have no idea when I'm going to be able to update my blog and/or pictures from now on - I don't know when we're going to be staying somewhere with internet access, so
Till then,
-Carly B
So, a few days ago, I woke up and looked at my watch and read 8.52 - I didn't have to be anywhere, but Nicole did. However, when I warned her, it turned out to actually be 8.25. Then, this morning, I woke up and looked at my watch again. I thought '8.81, that's an odd time' before I realised that it actually said 8.01. I need to stop reading my watch right after waking up - evidently I'm slightly dyslexic at that time of the morning.
Nicole and I met my family to see the Changing of the Guard this morning at Buckinghal Palace. That was really cool to see, even if we couldn't hear the mini concert-type thing in the middle. Lots of pomp and circumstance.
After the ceremony, Nicole and I stalled in a Pret before it was time to go to the tea. I had a chocolate croissant and apple juice - I'm really going to miss those...
Then it was tea time! :] The place we went to, Fortnum and Mason, was apparently one of the best places to go have tea. It was really nice too. The china was light blie and there was this lemon cornbread thing that was served - it was really good. And I think I like tea now, and the tea there was yummy too.
I was a rather bittersweet feeling there. I can't believe that we're done, and it's weird to think that most people are going to be leaving tomorrow. Like I said, rather bittersweet.
Nicole and I walked out of the store with Jasmine, and she asked that we text her later so we didn't have to say good bye there. Nicole gave her a hug, and I said That's why we don't say good bye, we say See you later. I'm going to miss those two.
Nicole wamted to keep hanging with me and my family, so I invited her to join us on the river tour. At first she was saying how she didn't want to intrude on family time, and I said she wouldn't be. She insisted that I call my mom to verify, and when I did my mom said that she thought it was a great idea.
The river tour was interedsting, even though I've seen most of it already, much of it up close. Nicole likes my family, and they seem to like her too. It made me happy :D
After the tour, the group split up. My dad and Uncle Mike went to the Tate Modern while Mom, Ricky, Nicole and I went to King's Cross and Platform 9 3/4. We took our pictures and got some food, then the groups rearranged - Mom and Ricky joined Dad and Uncle Mike at St Paul's while Nicole and I went back to our room to start packing.
After a little while, we went to the Apollo Victoria Theatre - where Wicked is running - to see Mark Evans one more time at the stage door. However, it was a shorter trip than we had anticipated, so we were rather early. To stall, we went to the pub next door and I had one last Pimm's while we people watched. There were two guys that we thought were cute, but then they walked out to smoke and immediatly lost all of their appeal.
After we were done with our drinks, we still had time to kill so we sat on a bench in the train station (it's right across from the theatre). I read Gregory Maguire's section about writing Wicked in Nicole's programme, and there was one quote that I really liked: 'The consolation of the imaginary is not imaginary consolation.' Story of my life.
When the show was over and the crowd gathering at the stage door, we joined them. I think Nicole was going to have a heart attack when he signed her iPod - she's been super careful with it ever since :] A very good way for her to end her stay in London :D
Then we returned to the room to finish packing. I swear all this stuff fit when I packed in June, there's no way it multiplied and expanded this much... O.o Nicole brought 2 bags, and when she said that one was probably going to be over 50 pounds, she said 'My bag is obese!' It made me laugh :D
As we packed, we were listening to the Wicked soundtrack and singing along while eating our midnight snack pizza. An amazing last night together. I'm really going to miss that girl.
Tomorrow I need to get up early so I can check out of my room and join my family for breakfast - all the food I have left is a half a bag of pasta and some milk - my dad said I should eat them together, I said maybe not :] Then we fly to Edinburgh - I'm so excited! I have no idea when I'm going to be able to update my blog and/or pictures from now on - I don't know when we're going to be staying somewhere with internet access, so
Till then,
-Carly B
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Let's go steal the Crown Jewels!
I met up with my mom at South Ken today to wander around the area and she got to see my room, in all its glory. I got my stuff ready to ship - holy huge shipping charge. I hope Nicole Cihock and Kyle Connelly better appreciate that they aren't going to get their presents in a month and a half...
I also took my mom by the Hummingbird Bakery and Ben's Cookies - so yummy :D I love hanging with my mom! :]
Then it was time for me to take my final. And I'm actually feeling pretty good about it. I guess we'll see.
Talk about perfect timing. When I finished my final, I called my mom to see if they were still in the British Museum so I could meet them there. They weren't in the museum, they were walking back towards the Centre. How fortuitous :]
Then it was off to the Tower. That was really cool.
Quick break for story time. The Purdue Study Abroad office had an orientation thing online - and one of the questions asked what the better souvenier would be: a journal, an arrest record or the Crown Jewels. I wanted the Crown Jewels :D
So, then I got to see them, and they were stunning. My mom and I were walking through and looking at the various crowns (I enjoyed the people movers - moving sidewalks :D ) and we wondered where the Imperial Crown of India was, so we asked an employee. It was right around the corner (of course O.o ) and he also told us some stuff about it. When King George V was crowned in 1911, he wasn't just a King, he was an Emperor. India wanted him to come be crowned in India too. However, none of the Royal Regala is allowed to leave the UK, so wealthy Indians donated gems and they made the Imperial Crown of India for the King. It was only ever worn that once. And it's got something like 6000+ diamonds. Craziness.
There was a game in the gift shop - Steal the Crown Jewels! I wanted it :D
Next up came dinner. I ordered peppermint tea and surprised my mom - I didn't really like tea before but the pepermint tea was really good. I also tried her wine and my dad's beer - she took pictures and said I was growing up :]
Wow, the views from the Eye were beautiful. We were even up there when the lights came on The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. It was awesome! I even almost forgot how high up I was...
Nicole and I are back to watching Kim Possible - we've run out of tv shows on DVD. I really hope we stay in touch after this summer.
Tomorrow Nicole and I are meeting my family to see the Changing of the Guard and it's now 1.42 in the morning - I really need to start getting to sleep earlier again. School should be a fun adjustment...
Till then,
-Carly
I also took my mom by the Hummingbird Bakery and Ben's Cookies - so yummy :D I love hanging with my mom! :]
Then it was time for me to take my final. And I'm actually feeling pretty good about it. I guess we'll see.
Talk about perfect timing. When I finished my final, I called my mom to see if they were still in the British Museum so I could meet them there. They weren't in the museum, they were walking back towards the Centre. How fortuitous :]
Then it was off to the Tower. That was really cool.
Quick break for story time. The Purdue Study Abroad office had an orientation thing online - and one of the questions asked what the better souvenier would be: a journal, an arrest record or the Crown Jewels. I wanted the Crown Jewels :D
So, then I got to see them, and they were stunning. My mom and I were walking through and looking at the various crowns (I enjoyed the people movers - moving sidewalks :D ) and we wondered where the Imperial Crown of India was, so we asked an employee. It was right around the corner (of course O.o ) and he also told us some stuff about it. When King George V was crowned in 1911, he wasn't just a King, he was an Emperor. India wanted him to come be crowned in India too. However, none of the Royal Regala is allowed to leave the UK, so wealthy Indians donated gems and they made the Imperial Crown of India for the King. It was only ever worn that once. And it's got something like 6000+ diamonds. Craziness.
There was a game in the gift shop - Steal the Crown Jewels! I wanted it :D
Next up came dinner. I ordered peppermint tea and surprised my mom - I didn't really like tea before but the pepermint tea was really good. I also tried her wine and my dad's beer - she took pictures and said I was growing up :]
Wow, the views from the Eye were beautiful. We were even up there when the lights came on The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. It was awesome! I even almost forgot how high up I was...
Nicole and I are back to watching Kim Possible - we've run out of tv shows on DVD. I really hope we stay in touch after this summer.
Tomorrow Nicole and I are meeting my family to see the Changing of the Guard and it's now 1.42 in the morning - I really need to start getting to sleep earlier again. School should be a fun adjustment...
Till then,
-Carly
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Jet Lag + Lack of Food = 2 Tired Teenagers
So I got up at six this morning to head over to the airport. I decided a while ago to surprise my family at the airport, so I tried (and failed) to straighten my hair and I left at seven. Wow, the tube is quiet at that time of the morning - it was kinda nice. When I got to the airport, I really hoped that they were actually in Terminal 3 and that they hadn't already gotten on the train to London.
Thankfully, it was all good. Mom called me from the customs line, and when she asked me where I was, I said I was in Pret - it was the easiest explanation for all the background noise. I was expecting her to ask why the hell I was in Pret at 8 in the morning when I didn't have to be anywhere until 10, but I guess she was too tired to think that through :]
So, then I saw them walking out of the terminal and I thought they saw me, but evidently not. Apparently, my mom had just been saying how she wished I could've been there, seeing all the other families reuniting, and then I was there. She was really surprised, mission accomplished :D As we made our way to their hotel, I think they were glad I was there - I kinda remembered what to do. I'm so happy to see them again!
We took a taxi tour all over London - and I mean all over. I'd seen most of the things before, but my mom was taking all sorts of pictures :] I think Ricky enjoyed it too, if he was actually awake for any of it. Apparently he didn't sleep on the plane, so he made up for that during the tour ;]
So, I had a chocolate croissant and apple juice for breakfast at 10a and then didn't eat again until we all had dinner at 4.45p, so towards the end of the tour (it was 5 hours long) I felt like I was going to pass out too.
There was a Garfunkel's next to the hotel, so we went over there. I discovered that the pizza I had at the resturaunt on Oxford Street wasn't the margherita pizza - so I have no idea what it actually was - but the margherita pizza was really yummy as well. I'm very curious what I had before...
We went back to the hotel to decide on what to do next. As my mom and I talked, Ricky was in Uncle Mike's room and my dad was falling asleep in the chair. We decided to go walking around Harrod's so that they'd keep moving and fight the jet lag.
Holy hell, that place is huge. Mom and I got some Christmas presents for people (expensive Christmas presents... O.o) and when we checked out the guy offered to direct us to our next department. That made me laugh :]
Then we hunted for some sort of snack, but all the places we found were sit-down resturaunts, so we decided to forgo that idea. We all had agreed that we would meet up at 8 by the table of large stuffed bears, so my mom and I made our way back down there.
At 8.15, we were wondering where the others were, and whether or not they would be mortally offended if we just left without them - we were both rather tired. Thankfully, they arrived quickly after that.
We split up after Harrod's to meet again tomorrow, so I returned to my room. Nicole and I watched the last 3 episodes of Bones season 5, and now we're sad that season 6 is so recent - we can't watch it. I'm thinking I might take all my seasons to school in August - I feel like a marathon may be in order... :D
I have a final tomorrow, blagh. At least I get to show my mom around my home for the past 6 weeks and she can discover the glory that is Ben's Cookies :]
Till then,
-Squirt
Thankfully, it was all good. Mom called me from the customs line, and when she asked me where I was, I said I was in Pret - it was the easiest explanation for all the background noise. I was expecting her to ask why the hell I was in Pret at 8 in the morning when I didn't have to be anywhere until 10, but I guess she was too tired to think that through :]
So, then I saw them walking out of the terminal and I thought they saw me, but evidently not. Apparently, my mom had just been saying how she wished I could've been there, seeing all the other families reuniting, and then I was there. She was really surprised, mission accomplished :D As we made our way to their hotel, I think they were glad I was there - I kinda remembered what to do. I'm so happy to see them again!
We took a taxi tour all over London - and I mean all over. I'd seen most of the things before, but my mom was taking all sorts of pictures :] I think Ricky enjoyed it too, if he was actually awake for any of it. Apparently he didn't sleep on the plane, so he made up for that during the tour ;]
So, I had a chocolate croissant and apple juice for breakfast at 10a and then didn't eat again until we all had dinner at 4.45p, so towards the end of the tour (it was 5 hours long) I felt like I was going to pass out too.
There was a Garfunkel's next to the hotel, so we went over there. I discovered that the pizza I had at the resturaunt on Oxford Street wasn't the margherita pizza - so I have no idea what it actually was - but the margherita pizza was really yummy as well. I'm very curious what I had before...
We went back to the hotel to decide on what to do next. As my mom and I talked, Ricky was in Uncle Mike's room and my dad was falling asleep in the chair. We decided to go walking around Harrod's so that they'd keep moving and fight the jet lag.
Holy hell, that place is huge. Mom and I got some Christmas presents for people (expensive Christmas presents... O.o) and when we checked out the guy offered to direct us to our next department. That made me laugh :]
Then we hunted for some sort of snack, but all the places we found were sit-down resturaunts, so we decided to forgo that idea. We all had agreed that we would meet up at 8 by the table of large stuffed bears, so my mom and I made our way back down there.
At 8.15, we were wondering where the others were, and whether or not they would be mortally offended if we just left without them - we were both rather tired. Thankfully, they arrived quickly after that.
We split up after Harrod's to meet again tomorrow, so I returned to my room. Nicole and I watched the last 3 episodes of Bones season 5, and now we're sad that season 6 is so recent - we can't watch it. I'm thinking I might take all my seasons to school in August - I feel like a marathon may be in order... :D
I have a final tomorrow, blagh. At least I get to show my mom around my home for the past 6 weeks and she can discover the glory that is Ben's Cookies :]
Till then,
-Squirt
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The Reindeer in Spain was hit mainly by the plane.
No class toady :D That was nice. I still had my alarm going off, so I was up at my normal time. After Nicole left, I had a bowl of cereal and watched Whose Line is it Anyway videos on youtube. Colin Mochrie is so bloody funny - he made up a news story:
Breaking News: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, dead at 53.
Over Barcelona today, the famed Reindeer was hit by a flock of seagulls and a 747.
Eyewitnesses report that the Reindeer in Spain was hit mainly by the plane.
:D Good way to spend a morning :]
I had to go to the Centre to turn in my Living and Dying research paper today. It would be nice if I could teleport, then I wouldn't have had to actually haul myself over there. Oh well. Now I've only got my final left. Wow.
I decided to take the bus home. I'd forgotten how long that trip takes - goodness the traffic makes the buses go slow. However, I was entertained for pretty much the entire trip. On the buses here, the top level has seats that are right at the front. There was a family - 2 parents and 2 kids - that sat in those front seats and the kids were adorable. They were both pretending to drive the bus and arguing as to who was actually driving, and the dad was telling the son to watch out for things and helping steer. It was adorable :D
When I was back, Nicole was still in class so I just listened to music and relaxed more, writing a bit.
Now that she is back, we've been watching more Bones episodes. I'm going to miss these evening TV show marathons :D
I get to see my family again tomorrow morning! A bunch of people here have been saying that they've enjoyed it here, but they can't wait to get home again. I want to stay here, I can't wait to see mi familia again (in case you couldn't tell... ;] )
Another short entry, but another great day. Tomorrow should be interesting again :]
Till then,
-Carly B
Breaking News: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, dead at 53.
Over Barcelona today, the famed Reindeer was hit by a flock of seagulls and a 747.
Eyewitnesses report that the Reindeer in Spain was hit mainly by the plane.
:D Good way to spend a morning :]
I had to go to the Centre to turn in my Living and Dying research paper today. It would be nice if I could teleport, then I wouldn't have had to actually haul myself over there. Oh well. Now I've only got my final left. Wow.
I decided to take the bus home. I'd forgotten how long that trip takes - goodness the traffic makes the buses go slow. However, I was entertained for pretty much the entire trip. On the buses here, the top level has seats that are right at the front. There was a family - 2 parents and 2 kids - that sat in those front seats and the kids were adorable. They were both pretending to drive the bus and arguing as to who was actually driving, and the dad was telling the son to watch out for things and helping steer. It was adorable :D
When I was back, Nicole was still in class so I just listened to music and relaxed more, writing a bit.
Now that she is back, we've been watching more Bones episodes. I'm going to miss these evening TV show marathons :D
I get to see my family again tomorrow morning! A bunch of people here have been saying that they've enjoyed it here, but they can't wait to get home again. I want to stay here, I can't wait to see mi familia again (in case you couldn't tell... ;] )
Another short entry, but another great day. Tomorrow should be interesting again :]
Till then,
-Carly B
Monday, July 25, 2011
An evening of watching dead people and the various things that happen to them
Today was my last Living and Dying class (and my last day of class for the summer (where the ruddy hell did the last six weeks go? O.o ). In class, we presented our case studies and that was it. It was a good class, short too.
I needed to finish my paper, so I went back to my room after class. And I did it! In shorter time than I expected it to take too. I'm so proud of myself :D
As Nicole worked on her paper for her Shakespeare class, I needed to get another adaptor so I can carge my camera. It was a beautiful day, so it was fun to walk around King's Road. I also got the forms to get oyster cards for my mom, dad, Ricky and Uncle Mike. I had to sign the forms for them - that was entertaining. Dad's wasn't too bad, but my mom's was laughably terrible. I have never been able to imitate her signature, but this was worse than normal. I used my left hand for Ricky's, but I have no idea what Uncle Mike's signature looked like so I just did whatever.
When Nicole finished her paper, we went to Primark (finally :] ). It's a store here that we've been wanting to go to for a while - cute clothes at cheap prices. I found a cute shirt :] It was pretty crowded there, it felt like an H&M.
After Primark, we went to grab some provisions and I think we should be good until the end, or maybe I'll just need some milk for my cereal. (Again - where did all the time go??)
When getting the oyster cards, I didn't even need my oddly signed forms O.o And buying 4 oyster cards and topping up another one required 5 different transactions. That was kinda annoying, but I guess it worked.
Once back in our room, Nicole and I have been watching Bones episodes all afternoon and evening. We both love Bones and Booth together, as well as Angela and Hodgens. We've been enjoying it :D
Well, this is a rather short entry. It was an excellent day, though :D
No class tomorrow - I need to turn in my paper and then I might go over to the Natural History Museum.
Till then,
-Carlito
I needed to finish my paper, so I went back to my room after class. And I did it! In shorter time than I expected it to take too. I'm so proud of myself :D
As Nicole worked on her paper for her Shakespeare class, I needed to get another adaptor so I can carge my camera. It was a beautiful day, so it was fun to walk around King's Road. I also got the forms to get oyster cards for my mom, dad, Ricky and Uncle Mike. I had to sign the forms for them - that was entertaining. Dad's wasn't too bad, but my mom's was laughably terrible. I have never been able to imitate her signature, but this was worse than normal. I used my left hand for Ricky's, but I have no idea what Uncle Mike's signature looked like so I just did whatever.
When Nicole finished her paper, we went to Primark (finally :] ). It's a store here that we've been wanting to go to for a while - cute clothes at cheap prices. I found a cute shirt :] It was pretty crowded there, it felt like an H&M.
After Primark, we went to grab some provisions and I think we should be good until the end, or maybe I'll just need some milk for my cereal. (Again - where did all the time go??)
When getting the oyster cards, I didn't even need my oddly signed forms O.o And buying 4 oyster cards and topping up another one required 5 different transactions. That was kinda annoying, but I guess it worked.
Once back in our room, Nicole and I have been watching Bones episodes all afternoon and evening. We both love Bones and Booth together, as well as Angela and Hodgens. We've been enjoying it :D
Well, this is a rather short entry. It was an excellent day, though :D
No class tomorrow - I need to turn in my paper and then I might go over to the Natural History Museum.
Till then,
-Carlito
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Stupid men are the only ones worth knowing, after all.
I definitely didn't want to leave today - I loved it out there, so peaceful and beautiful.
Today, after Brittney and I got packed up, we went to Cotehele - a large estate. It was established in 1353 by the Edgcumbes and the house and barn were built in 1485. The chapel housed a clock that was also installed at the same time - it's the oldest clock that's still working and in its original place, it hasn't been moved.
There was a small chapel built in the woods close to the river - and there was a story behind it. Sir Richard Edgcumbe declared that he was against the King (I can't remember what King or what years) and was being chased. He hid himself in the woods and threw his cap with a rock into the river. The men chasing him heard the sound and saw his cap, so they assumed he had drowned and left. When Sir Richard came back to the estate, he built a small chapel in the spot where he had hidden.
We walked all over the estate; through gardens, up hills, up triangular towers (there was a random triangular tower out in the middle of a cow grazing field), and through apple orchards alongside a cat :] Everything was so beautiful! I had some more fun taking pictures of flowers :D
We ate our packed lunch on the quay (pronounced key), looking out over the river and trying to figure out which way it was flowing - it was a tidal river, so at one point it looked like it was flowing in both directions at once.
After lunch, we walked up to the fllour mill on the estate. We couldn't go inside, but it was nice to walk along the stream and see the mill - it was a larger complex than Brittney and I had expected. My legs are going to be sore tomorrow - we walked up a lot of hills these past two days :]
After Cotehele, we went to a few different places to walk and stall before the coach was scheduled to leave, an area along the river, the Royal William shipyard and a Tesco (grocery store) so Brittney and I could get food for the coach ride back.
Then, when we went to get on the coach, it turned out that the people in London had only given us the ticket numbers for the trip down there, and not back. We started to panic slightly, but luckily there was a number the driver could call so it got sorted. And then we were on our way.
Oddly enough, I wasn't tired enough to sleep this trip, so I listened to Pride and Prejudice (hence the title of this post :D ) and watched the cars go by. I should've counted how many Jaguars I saw - there were so many! And they are so pretty :D
When I got back to my room, I got on skype and talked with my mom and dad... and Ricky! Now I'm up to seeing him 2 of 6 skype dates, I'm so happy ;D
Two more days! I can't wait!
And now it's obnoxiously late, and I have class tomorrow.
Till then,
-Carly
Today, after Brittney and I got packed up, we went to Cotehele - a large estate. It was established in 1353 by the Edgcumbes and the house and barn were built in 1485. The chapel housed a clock that was also installed at the same time - it's the oldest clock that's still working and in its original place, it hasn't been moved.
There was a small chapel built in the woods close to the river - and there was a story behind it. Sir Richard Edgcumbe declared that he was against the King (I can't remember what King or what years) and was being chased. He hid himself in the woods and threw his cap with a rock into the river. The men chasing him heard the sound and saw his cap, so they assumed he had drowned and left. When Sir Richard came back to the estate, he built a small chapel in the spot where he had hidden.
We walked all over the estate; through gardens, up hills, up triangular towers (there was a random triangular tower out in the middle of a cow grazing field), and through apple orchards alongside a cat :] Everything was so beautiful! I had some more fun taking pictures of flowers :D
We ate our packed lunch on the quay (pronounced key), looking out over the river and trying to figure out which way it was flowing - it was a tidal river, so at one point it looked like it was flowing in both directions at once.
After lunch, we walked up to the fllour mill on the estate. We couldn't go inside, but it was nice to walk along the stream and see the mill - it was a larger complex than Brittney and I had expected. My legs are going to be sore tomorrow - we walked up a lot of hills these past two days :]
After Cotehele, we went to a few different places to walk and stall before the coach was scheduled to leave, an area along the river, the Royal William shipyard and a Tesco (grocery store) so Brittney and I could get food for the coach ride back.
Then, when we went to get on the coach, it turned out that the people in London had only given us the ticket numbers for the trip down there, and not back. We started to panic slightly, but luckily there was a number the driver could call so it got sorted. And then we were on our way.
Oddly enough, I wasn't tired enough to sleep this trip, so I listened to Pride and Prejudice (hence the title of this post :D ) and watched the cars go by. I should've counted how many Jaguars I saw - there were so many! And they are so pretty :D
When I got back to my room, I got on skype and talked with my mom and dad... and Ricky! Now I'm up to seeing him 2 of 6 skype dates, I'm so happy ;D
Two more days! I can't wait!
And now it's obnoxiously late, and I have class tomorrow.
Till then,
-Carly
Saturday, July 23, 2011
So many sheep
This morning I had toast and cereal for breakfast. Talk about a traditional British breakfast :D I also have been having tea a lot, I think I like it. Once Brittney got up, we got showered and it was time to head out for our bike ride.
It was a beautiful day. We biked along a trail to a town caled Padstow - it was pretty much right on the ocean. The views were spectacular! For lunch, we had some Cornish pasties - evidently now it can only be called a Cornish pasty if it was made in Cornwall, so Devon just across the river is slightly ticked. I had a broccoli, cheddar and sweetcorn one - it was so good. After lunch, we had some clotted cream icecream - apparently that's also a rather Cornish thing to eat.
Then we got to walk down to the beach. Oh my goodness, it was so beautiful! The water was crystal clear and the beaches were rocky - like the good kind, not the annoying kind. We walked along there for a bit and for one section the sand was so soft that it was rather like waking through that really soft kind of snow. It was a workout.
I love beaches and water, so I walked in the water pretty much the entire time - I've now been in both sides of the Atlantic Ocean :D Brittney and I were wearing jeans, so we rolled them up and got a picture of our trendsetting look ;] It was pretty hot (literally...).
During the drive back, we drove along a moor and almost hit like three sheep - they were just hanging on the side of the road with the cows and crossing whenever they so desired. They were all over. Also during this time, Brittney commented on how my shoulders had gotten pink. I said that was normal, and it wasn't actually too bad.
Yeah, I definitely spoke too soon. I'm as red as a boiling lobster right now (ok, maybe not quite that bad... :] ). Oh well, it was so worth it.
Before getting going on dinner, we were just relaxing in the conservatory for a bit and talking. It was nice. Then while dinner was cooking, Mr and Mrs Harper took us out to a local pub. This pub has been there for centuries, and it was a pretty spiffy pub - very cabin feeling. I like it, I wish they had more places like that in America.
Dinner tonight was a vegetable cheesecake (like a quiche), potatoes and salad. It was delicious - I want to get the recipe for the cheesecake so I can try making it for myself.
It's so nice being in a house again, rather than a dorm, and it's so beautiful and relaxing out here - I don't want to go back to London yet! :]
But, I guess I have to. I think we're going to go for a picnic tomorrow and wander around the grounds of an old mill (we'd have to pay money to go inside and there's plenty to do outside).
Till then,
-Carlito
It was a beautiful day. We biked along a trail to a town caled Padstow - it was pretty much right on the ocean. The views were spectacular! For lunch, we had some Cornish pasties - evidently now it can only be called a Cornish pasty if it was made in Cornwall, so Devon just across the river is slightly ticked. I had a broccoli, cheddar and sweetcorn one - it was so good. After lunch, we had some clotted cream icecream - apparently that's also a rather Cornish thing to eat.
Then we got to walk down to the beach. Oh my goodness, it was so beautiful! The water was crystal clear and the beaches were rocky - like the good kind, not the annoying kind. We walked along there for a bit and for one section the sand was so soft that it was rather like waking through that really soft kind of snow. It was a workout.
I love beaches and water, so I walked in the water pretty much the entire time - I've now been in both sides of the Atlantic Ocean :D Brittney and I were wearing jeans, so we rolled them up and got a picture of our trendsetting look ;] It was pretty hot (literally...).
During the drive back, we drove along a moor and almost hit like three sheep - they were just hanging on the side of the road with the cows and crossing whenever they so desired. They were all over. Also during this time, Brittney commented on how my shoulders had gotten pink. I said that was normal, and it wasn't actually too bad.
Yeah, I definitely spoke too soon. I'm as red as a boiling lobster right now (ok, maybe not quite that bad... :] ). Oh well, it was so worth it.
Before getting going on dinner, we were just relaxing in the conservatory for a bit and talking. It was nice. Then while dinner was cooking, Mr and Mrs Harper took us out to a local pub. This pub has been there for centuries, and it was a pretty spiffy pub - very cabin feeling. I like it, I wish they had more places like that in America.
Dinner tonight was a vegetable cheesecake (like a quiche), potatoes and salad. It was delicious - I want to get the recipe for the cheesecake so I can try making it for myself.
It's so nice being in a house again, rather than a dorm, and it's so beautiful and relaxing out here - I don't want to go back to London yet! :]
But, I guess I have to. I think we're going to go for a picnic tomorrow and wander around the grounds of an old mill (we'd have to pay money to go inside and there's plenty to do outside).
Till then,
-Carlito
Friday, July 22, 2011
So many cows
Getting up at 6.30 definitely has its advantages - the construction hadn't started yet so it was blessedly quiet.
Brittney and I met up at 8 to head over to the coach station. When we booked the tickets, it said that we had to pick them up at the station, but we had no idea where. This is why I like getting places early.
Whd we were off! Unfortunately, the coach was really bloody cold, so that was annoying. And I wish I had more food in my kitchen - the only portable stuff I had was nutella and a bagel, so that's whati had for lunch (the other stuff is cereal, pasta, food like that).
On the drive, I saw so many pretty cars :] From what I saw when we drove through Bristol, I want to go back (I say that for a lot of the places I visit...). But yeah, that's petty much what I did for 6 hours - stare out the window and listen to Pride and Prejudice. I lobe that book :D
I didn't take as many pictures of the countryside today because I realised that I don't have any way to charge my camera. Ibreally hope it doesn't die on me.
After Exeter, we drove through some pretty sweet rain, but when we got to Plymouth it was a beautiful day. Brittney and I met Mrs Harper and walked around the city for a bit. It's a huge dock and port town, sonit was hit pretty bad during the Blitz. We saw the launching site for the Mayflower - that was pretty cool :D
Then we went to the Harpers' home. There's Mrs Harper, Mr Harper, and their two childen, Sophie and Philip. Sophie is vacationing this weekend, but Philip was around tonight. The house is adorable and it's got a wonderful view. When we walked in, there was bread baking and the house smelled amazing. We got some tea and chocolate banana bread (which was so good!) and sat out in the backyard to talk for a bit. The last students the Harpers hosted were Chinese, so they were interested to know about America. We talked about differences and our backgrounds and things like that. It's so beautiful, I love the rolling hills and I've got the bedroom that faces out that way :D Its so quiet too, so peaceful. Rather unlike London :]
After tea, we had some time before dinner would be ready, so Brittney and I worked on some homework for a little while. The homemade lasagna we had was so yummy, and the bread had finished so we got some of that too :] Very good dinner.
After dinner, we went up to Kit Hill. It's the tallest hill in the area, and the views were stunning - I loved it. We were walking along and suddenly there were some cows just chilling off to the side. It was pretty funny :]
Oh my gosh, Philip and Mr Harper have motorbikes! They were talking about it and Philip offered to showme and Brittney. Mr Harper said that we wouldn't be interested in that, but I raised my hand and said 'I would.' They're so cool! Philip's is red and Mr Harper's is black. I got to sit on his dad's - it was lighter - and Philip gave me a basic overview of how it worked. He turned it on, and when I twisted the throttle it sent adrenaline through my spine. I want a motorbike.
The village we're in is so cute, and small. I love it :D
Tomorrow we're going to take a bike ride around the area, I'm excited.
Till then,
-Carly B
ps - I'm typng this on my iPod, so sorry if some of it doesn't actually make sense. I can't proofread what I've typed...
Brittney and I met up at 8 to head over to the coach station. When we booked the tickets, it said that we had to pick them up at the station, but we had no idea where. This is why I like getting places early.
Whd we were off! Unfortunately, the coach was really bloody cold, so that was annoying. And I wish I had more food in my kitchen - the only portable stuff I had was nutella and a bagel, so that's whati had for lunch (the other stuff is cereal, pasta, food like that).
On the drive, I saw so many pretty cars :] From what I saw when we drove through Bristol, I want to go back (I say that for a lot of the places I visit...). But yeah, that's petty much what I did for 6 hours - stare out the window and listen to Pride and Prejudice. I lobe that book :D
I didn't take as many pictures of the countryside today because I realised that I don't have any way to charge my camera. Ibreally hope it doesn't die on me.
After Exeter, we drove through some pretty sweet rain, but when we got to Plymouth it was a beautiful day. Brittney and I met Mrs Harper and walked around the city for a bit. It's a huge dock and port town, sonit was hit pretty bad during the Blitz. We saw the launching site for the Mayflower - that was pretty cool :D
Then we went to the Harpers' home. There's Mrs Harper, Mr Harper, and their two childen, Sophie and Philip. Sophie is vacationing this weekend, but Philip was around tonight. The house is adorable and it's got a wonderful view. When we walked in, there was bread baking and the house smelled amazing. We got some tea and chocolate banana bread (which was so good!) and sat out in the backyard to talk for a bit. The last students the Harpers hosted were Chinese, so they were interested to know about America. We talked about differences and our backgrounds and things like that. It's so beautiful, I love the rolling hills and I've got the bedroom that faces out that way :D Its so quiet too, so peaceful. Rather unlike London :]
After tea, we had some time before dinner would be ready, so Brittney and I worked on some homework for a little while. The homemade lasagna we had was so yummy, and the bread had finished so we got some of that too :] Very good dinner.
After dinner, we went up to Kit Hill. It's the tallest hill in the area, and the views were stunning - I loved it. We were walking along and suddenly there were some cows just chilling off to the side. It was pretty funny :]
Oh my gosh, Philip and Mr Harper have motorbikes! They were talking about it and Philip offered to showme and Brittney. Mr Harper said that we wouldn't be interested in that, but I raised my hand and said 'I would.' They're so cool! Philip's is red and Mr Harper's is black. I got to sit on his dad's - it was lighter - and Philip gave me a basic overview of how it worked. He turned it on, and when I twisted the throttle it sent adrenaline through my spine. I want a motorbike.
The village we're in is so cute, and small. I love it :D
Tomorrow we're going to take a bike ride around the area, I'm excited.
Till then,
-Carly B
ps - I'm typng this on my iPod, so sorry if some of it doesn't actually make sense. I can't proofread what I've typed...
Thursday, July 21, 2011
You can't spell inspiration without procrastination.
Today was the last theatre class (we don't have class on Tuesday). My teacher said that I look like a Charlie's Angel today. I'm wearing my green one-shoulder shirt, belt, jeans, and my hair is in a ponytail. I said 'Thanks?' It wasn't the look I was going for, but they're all pretty, so I guess I'll take it as a compliment :]
In class, we talked about how there's a huge debate about who wrote Shakespeare's plays. The Oxfordians firmly believe that a man named Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford was the real author, not the man who lived in Stratford. I still say they're great, no matter who wrote them. After all, 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.' :D
There are so many nice cars on Manresa Road. I've walked past a custom Range Rover, a Maseratti, two Bentleys (one convertable and one hard top), a jag, beamers and mini coopers all over and I saw a Rolls-Royce up close and in person. It was so pretty :D
Once back in my room, I worked on my paper and got my first draft finished. We've got till Tuesday, so I'll probably work on it on Monday after class.
Then it was time to see Richard III, which is basically about how Richard is really crazy and wants to be king, killing a ton of people on his way. Kevin Spacey was good as Richard. Gemma Jones - who played Madam Pomfrey - was also in it :D
I was sitting with two IES guys - Nathan and Michael - and our seats were pretty much terrible. Nathan and I were debating what we could trade people for their seats - we decided on David, another IES guy.
'David, you're going with them so we can have their seats.'
'It's not slavery, it's called indentured sercant today.'
We thought it was a good idea :D
Nicole and I are watching Kim Possible on youtube, I miss this show. Ron Stoppable is hilarious.
'You can't spell inspiration without procrastination.'
'Yes you can.'
'Not the ation part!'
We were both laughing :D
Tomorrow I go to Cornwall with Brittney! I'm excited. Unfortunately, we're meeting to head out at 8 tomorrow, so I'm getting up at 6, and it's now 1.40... Well, they have wifi so I'll update from my ipod again the next few nights.
Till then,
-Carly
In class, we talked about how there's a huge debate about who wrote Shakespeare's plays. The Oxfordians firmly believe that a man named Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford was the real author, not the man who lived in Stratford. I still say they're great, no matter who wrote them. After all, 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.' :D
There are so many nice cars on Manresa Road. I've walked past a custom Range Rover, a Maseratti, two Bentleys (one convertable and one hard top), a jag, beamers and mini coopers all over and I saw a Rolls-Royce up close and in person. It was so pretty :D
Once back in my room, I worked on my paper and got my first draft finished. We've got till Tuesday, so I'll probably work on it on Monday after class.
Then it was time to see Richard III, which is basically about how Richard is really crazy and wants to be king, killing a ton of people on his way. Kevin Spacey was good as Richard. Gemma Jones - who played Madam Pomfrey - was also in it :D
I was sitting with two IES guys - Nathan and Michael - and our seats were pretty much terrible. Nathan and I were debating what we could trade people for their seats - we decided on David, another IES guy.
'David, you're going with them so we can have their seats.'
'It's not slavery, it's called indentured sercant today.'
We thought it was a good idea :D
Nicole and I are watching Kim Possible on youtube, I miss this show. Ron Stoppable is hilarious.
'You can't spell inspiration without procrastination.'
'Yes you can.'
'Not the ation part!'
We were both laughing :D
Tomorrow I go to Cornwall with Brittney! I'm excited. Unfortunately, we're meeting to head out at 8 tomorrow, so I'm getting up at 6, and it's now 1.40... Well, they have wifi so I'll update from my ipod again the next few nights.
Till then,
-Carly
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
How to Legitimate Children in Georgia
Today's been a good day. Well, excepting the letters I have in my words with friends game with Kristin. Yesterday they were i, o, o, u, i, i, i and now they're i, o, o, i, i, i, o. Bloody hell. Kristin - sorry if I play some really short words for the next few turns...
Other than that madness, Living and Dying was pretty good (the IES Centre has wifi, so I usually play before or after class there). I got my quiz back - I got a 19.5/20! Huzzah! We talked about the Foundling Museum, and when I shared that my favourite part had been the Handel floor, Dr Atkinson told me that there's a Handel museum in Mayfair. I may need to check that out... :D
Then we talked about women in the late 1700s and how they could be treated rather poorly. Then we watched Persuasion :D I liked the version we saw too - Captain Wentworth (the hero) was cuter in this version than in the one I have ;] However, I like the way Wentworth gives Anne (the heroine) his note much better in the book and my version: Anne and Captain Harville (mutual friend) are talking about the constancy of men's v. women's hearts while another woman was in the room and Wentworth was writing something. Then Harville and Wentworth leave, but Wentworth forgot his gloves so he comes back in. With his back to the other woman, so she couldn't see, he moves a letter so Anne could see it and then he left. (This would prob make much more sense if I could explain it better...)
Like I said before, I'm a sucker for romance, so I love that part :D
But yes, it was a really nice class - especially for me ;]
One girl and I were talking before class - we both agreed that we miss certain food places in America: Panera and any sort of Mexican food were the two main ones, I know what I want to eat when we get home :]
As I made my way back to the res hall, the tube was crazy crowded. It thinned out through Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square (huge tourist areas), but then these guys got on. There was room in the aisle down the car, but they just stood in the doorway, even as people were shoving past them to get to the empty space. They were talking rather loudly in their own language, and then one of them stood about four inches in front of me. He was swaying back and forth, holding onto the bar at the top, and he almost stepped on my toes a few times. I really really wanted to just give him a shove, but I managed to hold myself back. They finally sat down once some seats opened up (so chivalrous, offering the women the seats first... or not so much O.o ) and South Ken was just a few stops later.
The Lamborghini dealer got some new cars - one of them is golden. It's so sad walking past that every day.
In this vein, I decided that today was as good a day as any to stop by the Hummingbird Bakery that we walk past every day as well. The red velvet cupcake was delicious :D
Nicole and I went to see Harry Potter this afternoon. We got the Harrry Potter 3D glasses and were both really excited about them, though, as Nicole so eloquently put it, 'We look like blind mice.' I agreed, but we still like them :D
She liked it, so that was good. I definitely cried again. Rupert Grint is really hot.
I'm not going to say any more here, I don't want my mom to read the spoiler section again and know more stuff that she shouldn't until she sees it for herself ;P No reading my book or asking Ricky either ;]
There were some cool previews that weren't shown with the other one - Sherlock Holmes 2, Captain America and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The Dark Knight Rises was at both, and I still think that the promo picture of Bane is creepy as all get out.
Then I got back and worked on my research paper. I was looking up what the law defined legitimacy to be, and I came across an eHow article: 'How to Legitimate Children in Georgia.' I gave a startled laugh when I saw that, but I didn't actually read it. Just seeing the title made me laugh :]
I got a good chunk written today, and tomorrow between class and Richard III I hope I can at least finish a first draft.
Till then,
-Carly B
ps - I put a picture of my new haircut up on facebook, so if you haven't seen it and still want to, it's there.
Other than that madness, Living and Dying was pretty good (the IES Centre has wifi, so I usually play before or after class there). I got my quiz back - I got a 19.5/20! Huzzah! We talked about the Foundling Museum, and when I shared that my favourite part had been the Handel floor, Dr Atkinson told me that there's a Handel museum in Mayfair. I may need to check that out... :D
Then we talked about women in the late 1700s and how they could be treated rather poorly. Then we watched Persuasion :D I liked the version we saw too - Captain Wentworth (the hero) was cuter in this version than in the one I have ;] However, I like the way Wentworth gives Anne (the heroine) his note much better in the book and my version: Anne and Captain Harville (mutual friend) are talking about the constancy of men's v. women's hearts while another woman was in the room and Wentworth was writing something. Then Harville and Wentworth leave, but Wentworth forgot his gloves so he comes back in. With his back to the other woman, so she couldn't see, he moves a letter so Anne could see it and then he left. (This would prob make much more sense if I could explain it better...)
Like I said before, I'm a sucker for romance, so I love that part :D
But yes, it was a really nice class - especially for me ;]
One girl and I were talking before class - we both agreed that we miss certain food places in America: Panera and any sort of Mexican food were the two main ones, I know what I want to eat when we get home :]
As I made my way back to the res hall, the tube was crazy crowded. It thinned out through Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square (huge tourist areas), but then these guys got on. There was room in the aisle down the car, but they just stood in the doorway, even as people were shoving past them to get to the empty space. They were talking rather loudly in their own language, and then one of them stood about four inches in front of me. He was swaying back and forth, holding onto the bar at the top, and he almost stepped on my toes a few times. I really really wanted to just give him a shove, but I managed to hold myself back. They finally sat down once some seats opened up (so chivalrous, offering the women the seats first... or not so much O.o ) and South Ken was just a few stops later.
The Lamborghini dealer got some new cars - one of them is golden. It's so sad walking past that every day.
In this vein, I decided that today was as good a day as any to stop by the Hummingbird Bakery that we walk past every day as well. The red velvet cupcake was delicious :D
Nicole and I went to see Harry Potter this afternoon. We got the Harrry Potter 3D glasses and were both really excited about them, though, as Nicole so eloquently put it, 'We look like blind mice.' I agreed, but we still like them :D
She liked it, so that was good. I definitely cried again. Rupert Grint is really hot.
I'm not going to say any more here, I don't want my mom to read the spoiler section again and know more stuff that she shouldn't until she sees it for herself ;P No reading my book or asking Ricky either ;]
There were some cool previews that weren't shown with the other one - Sherlock Holmes 2, Captain America and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The Dark Knight Rises was at both, and I still think that the promo picture of Bane is creepy as all get out.
Then I got back and worked on my research paper. I was looking up what the law defined legitimacy to be, and I came across an eHow article: 'How to Legitimate Children in Georgia.' I gave a startled laugh when I saw that, but I didn't actually read it. Just seeing the title made me laugh :]
I got a good chunk written today, and tomorrow between class and Richard III I hope I can at least finish a first draft.
Till then,
-Carly B
ps - I put a picture of my new haircut up on facebook, so if you haven't seen it and still want to, it's there.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
-Yogi Berra
Today we started theatre class early and ended a late so we could talk about the play and have a revision session (revise = review). Our teacher gave us breakfast - I had forgotten so that was exciting :D It was a good class too. We had some good discussions about the Cherry Orchard, and I'm feeling a little better about my final now after the revising.
When I got on the tube at Holborn, it was a beautiful day. When I got off at South Ken, it was raining. And then, as I walked back to the res hall, it stared raining even harder. My shir got soaked on one side (bloody umbrella...) and a foot or so at the bottoms of the legs of my jeans were too. I changed my shirt to go get my hair cut, but I decided to just deal with the jeans. I could change once I was back in my room.
It was a cool hair salon. There were bright-coloured lights and all of the stations were decorated differently - mine was bubbles and the one next to me was jeweled UK colours with the flag at the top. When I sat down, the girl asked me if I wanted anything to drink so I got some water and read an article about Emma Watson in a magazine. I really like her - not just because she's Hermione either ;D She's very beautiful.
My haircut was free too :D It was free because I was basically there to help Jasmine practice. An instructor/more experienced person wandered between stations and helped lead the trainees. That was nice, because sometimes words weren't working so well for me, so she was able to help interpret what I wanted for Jasmine. I really like my hair :D I like it short, but I don't get my hair cut very often so it gets long again in between. My ponytail feels so funny right now ;] I'll get a picture tomorrow - I'm in my pyjamas already :]
The appointment was at 3, and I was done at 4.30. I figured Nicole would be wondering where I was (she's out of class at 4), but when I got back she wasn't here so I wound up wondering where she was :] Apparently she and another girl from her class took the bus home. She stopped dead in her tracks and her mouth dropped open when she saw my hair - it was rather comical :] She like it though, she wanted me to skype people so they could see. I figured y'all could wait till I got a picture up on facebook tomorrow ;]
Well, instead of working on my research paper this evening, I watched youtube videos. Heh, oops. Oh well, I have some questions I need to ask Dr Atkinson anyway, so I'll work on it tomorrow.
Nicole and I are going to see Harry Potter tomorrow after my class - I'm excited :D She is too - she hasn't seen it yet because her mom was here when it came out, so she couldn't go to the midnight showing.
And now my journal is completely filled. It was perfect too - I wrote my laste sentence on the last line :] I couldn't do that again if I tried. So, I get to start a new one tomorrow!
Till then,
-Carlito
Today we started theatre class early and ended a late so we could talk about the play and have a revision session (revise = review). Our teacher gave us breakfast - I had forgotten so that was exciting :D It was a good class too. We had some good discussions about the Cherry Orchard, and I'm feeling a little better about my final now after the revising.
When I got on the tube at Holborn, it was a beautiful day. When I got off at South Ken, it was raining. And then, as I walked back to the res hall, it stared raining even harder. My shir got soaked on one side (bloody umbrella...) and a foot or so at the bottoms of the legs of my jeans were too. I changed my shirt to go get my hair cut, but I decided to just deal with the jeans. I could change once I was back in my room.
It was a cool hair salon. There were bright-coloured lights and all of the stations were decorated differently - mine was bubbles and the one next to me was jeweled UK colours with the flag at the top. When I sat down, the girl asked me if I wanted anything to drink so I got some water and read an article about Emma Watson in a magazine. I really like her - not just because she's Hermione either ;D She's very beautiful.
My haircut was free too :D It was free because I was basically there to help Jasmine practice. An instructor/more experienced person wandered between stations and helped lead the trainees. That was nice, because sometimes words weren't working so well for me, so she was able to help interpret what I wanted for Jasmine. I really like my hair :D I like it short, but I don't get my hair cut very often so it gets long again in between. My ponytail feels so funny right now ;] I'll get a picture tomorrow - I'm in my pyjamas already :]
The appointment was at 3, and I was done at 4.30. I figured Nicole would be wondering where I was (she's out of class at 4), but when I got back she wasn't here so I wound up wondering where she was :] Apparently she and another girl from her class took the bus home. She stopped dead in her tracks and her mouth dropped open when she saw my hair - it was rather comical :] She like it though, she wanted me to skype people so they could see. I figured y'all could wait till I got a picture up on facebook tomorrow ;]
Well, instead of working on my research paper this evening, I watched youtube videos. Heh, oops. Oh well, I have some questions I need to ask Dr Atkinson anyway, so I'll work on it tomorrow.
Nicole and I are going to see Harry Potter tomorrow after my class - I'm excited :D She is too - she hasn't seen it yet because her mom was here when it came out, so she couldn't go to the midnight showing.
And now my journal is completely filled. It was perfect too - I wrote my laste sentence on the last line :] I couldn't do that again if I tried. So, I get to start a new one tomorrow!
Till then,
-Carlito
Monday, July 18, 2011
A Series of Unfortunate Travelling Events
We met at the Guildhall library for Living and Dying today. It was an interedting trip. I got to Holborn just fine, only to discover that the Central line trains running in the direction I wanted to go were being held indefinitely - evidently there was something going on with a train up ahead. So, I go back off the platform and say 'Hey, if I take the Central line the other direction to another stop, I can get on the District or Circle line and that will take me to another stop close to the library.' (Thankfully I had the map of the area around the library with me - otherwise I have absolutely no idea what I would've done.) So I do that, but that train wound up getting held for a few minutes too. And one of the men near me was wearing way too much cologne - it was making me rather nauseous. Once I get to the stop where I need to switch, I got on the District train that isn't actually going where I need it to (the District line goes so many different places and branches off all over the place, it's rather confusing). I got off at the next stop to get on the Circle train - that would definitely go where I need to go. Those don't come very often though, so that's unfortunate - I waited another five minutes or so on that platform. Once I did get on the Circle train, I got to my stop just fine. Then, I got turned around when exiting the station, so I took a nice little walk by the Old Bailey and St Paul's when it should've just been a straight shot up one street - not anywhere near the Old Bailey.
It feels like one of those stories where the truth is even better than anything I could make up. The only way to make it any better would be if I had fallen off the train or something and caused all those delays O.o
Once I got to the Guildhall, Dr Atkinson was really understanding and she found me a book on social history that gave me some good info for my paper.
When I got back to my room (sans crazy tube rides, though the announcements said that the Central line was still delayed) I made myself focus on my theatre paper. I was seriously counting down the words, but I got it done! Now I guess we'll just see whether it's actually any good or not...
After I finished that, I celebrated by taking an adventure down King's Road. I don't usually go past the Big Easy (the opposite direction from the Waitrose and Waterstone's and Sloane Square) so it was fun to see what all was down there.
Unfortunately, the Chelsea Teapot was closed - I think it's a cupcake place and I wanted to try one. I guess I'll jsut have to try again another day.
I'm quickly running out of pages in the journal Nicole gave me (I like to tell stories :D ) so I stopped by a stationery store to get a new one. It's so pretty - I love the look and feel of a new notebook. They only get better as you write in them too :D
It started lightly raining when I walked out of the store, so I decided that I was done adventuring for the day and went back to my room. Evidently I wasn't entirely done, though, beacuse Nicole needed to go grocery shopping so we went back out again later. Hopefully we've got enough stuff to last us through the last few weeks now.
Mrs Harper (she says for me to call her Lesley, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to...) sent me and Brittney another email today. Apparently it's supposed to rain all weekend, so that's unfortunate. I still can't wait to go - I'm sure it's going to be a ton of fun :]
Ideally, tomorrow's going to be rather laid back because I'm going to work on my research paper most of the day. Ideally.
Till then,
-Carly
It feels like one of those stories where the truth is even better than anything I could make up. The only way to make it any better would be if I had fallen off the train or something and caused all those delays O.o
Once I got to the Guildhall, Dr Atkinson was really understanding and she found me a book on social history that gave me some good info for my paper.
When I got back to my room (sans crazy tube rides, though the announcements said that the Central line was still delayed) I made myself focus on my theatre paper. I was seriously counting down the words, but I got it done! Now I guess we'll just see whether it's actually any good or not...
After I finished that, I celebrated by taking an adventure down King's Road. I don't usually go past the Big Easy (the opposite direction from the Waitrose and Waterstone's and Sloane Square) so it was fun to see what all was down there.
Unfortunately, the Chelsea Teapot was closed - I think it's a cupcake place and I wanted to try one. I guess I'll jsut have to try again another day.
I'm quickly running out of pages in the journal Nicole gave me (I like to tell stories :D ) so I stopped by a stationery store to get a new one. It's so pretty - I love the look and feel of a new notebook. They only get better as you write in them too :D
It started lightly raining when I walked out of the store, so I decided that I was done adventuring for the day and went back to my room. Evidently I wasn't entirely done, though, beacuse Nicole needed to go grocery shopping so we went back out again later. Hopefully we've got enough stuff to last us through the last few weeks now.
Mrs Harper (she says for me to call her Lesley, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to...) sent me and Brittney another email today. Apparently it's supposed to rain all weekend, so that's unfortunate. I still can't wait to go - I'm sure it's going to be a ton of fun :]
Ideally, tomorrow's going to be rather laid back because I'm going to work on my research paper most of the day. Ideally.
Till then,
-Carly
Sunday, July 17, 2011
If you actually look like your passport photo, you aren't well enough to travel.
- Sir Vivian Fuchs. That quote was on one of the pages I wrote on today in my journal. I enjoyed it, I was laughing pretty good :D
You can definitely tell when it's 10.15 on a Sunday morning here - the church bells start ringing and go on for 15 minutes.
It was raining again today, so no adventures on King's Road for me. I think God is trying to tell me something... It was raining pretty good at times too - it's been a while since I've just sat and listened to the rain. It's relaxing :]
I wrote some more in my paper, but I am one of the world's worst procrastinators so I haven't finished it. Looks like I know what I'll be doing tomorrow O.o
But then I got to skype with my mom and dad. I know I say this every time, but I like talking to them and I can't wait till they join me out here :D Ricky wasn't there again, but he's at Sandblast - a church retreat - so I guess that's an acceptable excuse ;D
They told me that they went on a road trip to Indianapolis to get a car forme to use at school. It seemed a long way to go for a car, but apparently it's a dealer that my mom has worked with so they trust them. That seems like a good reason, especially since I'm going to be using the car a lot, so I'd like to have it work :]
The kitchen is almost gone - it's going to be weird when I go back, the family room will be different as well. Should be interesting to see :]
Normally when we talk on skype, we have to choose whether we want the audio or video aspect of the call. Well, today we actually had a call where both of them (mostly) worked the entire time! It was rather exciting.
Nicole and her mom came by this afternoon to drop off some of Nicole's things and pack up souveneirs for her mom to take home. I, on the other hand, may or may not wind up needing to ship a box home...
It was nice to meet her mom, though, she was cool.
Then it was time for the women's world cup final. The common rooms in this building alternate between study rooms and more lounge-type rooms. The one on my floor is a study room, so I went up a floor to find a tv to watch the match. I met some people who aren't in IES - they just got here and tomorrow they start a month-long programme on Shakespeare. I was able to help them with some things in the ares - like Cafe Nero is cheaper than Pret and the District and Circle lines aren't going to be operating on a section of track from next week till sometime in August. I felt proud of myself, and glad I could help a little :D
Oh my gosh, that match was so intense! I was watching with an Indian guy and an American girl, and we all got so drawn into it. It was crazy! Unfortunately the USA lost - in penalty kicks too. Blast.
Well, I had hoped to get to sleep earlier tonight, so much for that. Back to class tomorrow - the last full week. Where did all the time go??
Till then,
-Carly
You can definitely tell when it's 10.15 on a Sunday morning here - the church bells start ringing and go on for 15 minutes.
It was raining again today, so no adventures on King's Road for me. I think God is trying to tell me something... It was raining pretty good at times too - it's been a while since I've just sat and listened to the rain. It's relaxing :]
I wrote some more in my paper, but I am one of the world's worst procrastinators so I haven't finished it. Looks like I know what I'll be doing tomorrow O.o
But then I got to skype with my mom and dad. I know I say this every time, but I like talking to them and I can't wait till they join me out here :D Ricky wasn't there again, but he's at Sandblast - a church retreat - so I guess that's an acceptable excuse ;D
They told me that they went on a road trip to Indianapolis to get a car forme to use at school. It seemed a long way to go for a car, but apparently it's a dealer that my mom has worked with so they trust them. That seems like a good reason, especially since I'm going to be using the car a lot, so I'd like to have it work :]
The kitchen is almost gone - it's going to be weird when I go back, the family room will be different as well. Should be interesting to see :]
Normally when we talk on skype, we have to choose whether we want the audio or video aspect of the call. Well, today we actually had a call where both of them (mostly) worked the entire time! It was rather exciting.
Nicole and her mom came by this afternoon to drop off some of Nicole's things and pack up souveneirs for her mom to take home. I, on the other hand, may or may not wind up needing to ship a box home...
It was nice to meet her mom, though, she was cool.
Then it was time for the women's world cup final. The common rooms in this building alternate between study rooms and more lounge-type rooms. The one on my floor is a study room, so I went up a floor to find a tv to watch the match. I met some people who aren't in IES - they just got here and tomorrow they start a month-long programme on Shakespeare. I was able to help them with some things in the ares - like Cafe Nero is cheaper than Pret and the District and Circle lines aren't going to be operating on a section of track from next week till sometime in August. I felt proud of myself, and glad I could help a little :D
Oh my gosh, that match was so intense! I was watching with an Indian guy and an American girl, and we all got so drawn into it. It was crazy! Unfortunately the USA lost - in penalty kicks too. Blast.
Well, I had hoped to get to sleep earlier tonight, so much for that. Back to class tomorrow - the last full week. Where did all the time go??
Till then,
-Carly
Saturday, July 16, 2011
A Day in the Life of a Hermit
Yesterday, when I didn't do anything, it was a beautiful day. Today, when I wanted to get out and walk around, it was grey and raining all day. Go figure.
I had an interesting dream last night - it was like a movie, only I saw it through the eyes of one character unless it cut to another. It was a daughter and her mom, but not actually me and my mom. It was really vivid though, I wrote it down this morning. I like to write down the ones I remember in the morning - it's fun to go back through and read them. They tend to be strange...
Goodness, I really don't like writing papers. With writing, once I get going I can write for days - just look at my stories, or even my journal that's running out of pages - but I almost always have the hardest times getting going with papers. I got a pretty decent start on my Living and Dying research paper - too bad that's not the one that's due on Tuesday... O.o
So, what did I do all day, you ask?
Well, I took a nap - my sleep schedule is so bloody messed up.
I made a new background for my computer - I finally have enough pictures of me with other people in London to be able to make a decent collage - one with more than only 2 or 3 pictures :D
I managed to find a time when it wasn't raining to get out to Waitrose - I needed more cereal for tomorrow's breakfast. I didn't really want to risk it and walk to the store I wanted to go look at, so I'll se what it's like tomorrow and try again then.
When getting ready to go to Waitrose, I discovered that my green button up shirt has some sort of grease spot on it, which is unfortunate - how do you get those out?
The majority of my day was reading Shakespeare on my bed because my back and stomach were hurting. I blame my sleep schedule - when I don't get enough sleep at my normal time, something starts hurting. It's usually my legs when I'm running, but I need new shoes to start running again.
Once Sirius (my laptop - you know you wish your computer had an awesome name like that :D ) had enough battery life, I brought him over to work on the papers.
And, yes, I do call my laptop by his name ;D
I'm actually kinda tired - even though I didn't do anything all day. Sometimes I don't get how my body works O.o Hopefully tomorrow I can get out and go walk around, as well as get a paper finished. Preferably the one due on Tuesday, but I'm not too picky at the moment :]
Till then,
-Carlito
I had an interesting dream last night - it was like a movie, only I saw it through the eyes of one character unless it cut to another. It was a daughter and her mom, but not actually me and my mom. It was really vivid though, I wrote it down this morning. I like to write down the ones I remember in the morning - it's fun to go back through and read them. They tend to be strange...
Goodness, I really don't like writing papers. With writing, once I get going I can write for days - just look at my stories, or even my journal that's running out of pages - but I almost always have the hardest times getting going with papers. I got a pretty decent start on my Living and Dying research paper - too bad that's not the one that's due on Tuesday... O.o
So, what did I do all day, you ask?
Well, I took a nap - my sleep schedule is so bloody messed up.
I made a new background for my computer - I finally have enough pictures of me with other people in London to be able to make a decent collage - one with more than only 2 or 3 pictures :D
I managed to find a time when it wasn't raining to get out to Waitrose - I needed more cereal for tomorrow's breakfast. I didn't really want to risk it and walk to the store I wanted to go look at, so I'll se what it's like tomorrow and try again then.
When getting ready to go to Waitrose, I discovered that my green button up shirt has some sort of grease spot on it, which is unfortunate - how do you get those out?
The majority of my day was reading Shakespeare on my bed because my back and stomach were hurting. I blame my sleep schedule - when I don't get enough sleep at my normal time, something starts hurting. It's usually my legs when I'm running, but I need new shoes to start running again.
Once Sirius (my laptop - you know you wish your computer had an awesome name like that :D ) had enough battery life, I brought him over to work on the papers.
And, yes, I do call my laptop by his name ;D
I'm actually kinda tired - even though I didn't do anything all day. Sometimes I don't get how my body works O.o Hopefully tomorrow I can get out and go walk around, as well as get a paper finished. Preferably the one due on Tuesday, but I'm not too picky at the moment :]
Till then,
-Carlito
Friday, July 15, 2011
Another bloody alcohol awareness thing? O.o
Well, instead of 1p I woke up at 10a - I pretty much always wake up sometime between 8 and 10 when I don't have any alarm. I decided that I wanted more than 4 hours of sleep, so I went back to sleep till 11.30. That time I was more awake, so I figured I might as well get up. I still stayed in my pjs all day (no reason not to) :D Nicole's mom came in yesterday and they both left for Paris today, so I've got the room to myself till Nicole returns sometime on Monday (she doesn't have class on Mondays or Wednesdays).
Today I got an email from Purdue saying I needed to do this Alcohol Edu thing. It's mostly for incoming freshman, but because I'm a club sport officer I needed to as well. It's really annoying, going through alcohol awareness theings all the bloody time. There's health classes and things all through middle school and high school and we had a thing through IES at the beginning of the program. Yes, yes, I get the point.
I know it's a good thing for a lot of people, but it annoys me because I tend to pride myself on my common sense - and that's what the IES and Purdue things were full of.
I got my theatre paper started, and I have no idea how I'm going to stretch that out into 1300 words. I guess we'll see. And I found some sources formy Living and Dying research paper. I think I may go wander around Kings Road tomorrow - just to get out of my room - and then really focus on my papers.
My back has been hurting lately - I blame these desk chairs. When I'm sitting in it, I have to sit up and stretch every 5 minutes, and my back pops almost every time I do. Quite annoying.
I think I'm going to migrate to my bed and read some Shakespeare. Another really short entry, but yesterday's (this morning's?) should make up for it. Tomorrow maybe I'll actually get outside... Sunshine and fresh air? Who needs that?
Till then,
-Carly B
Today I got an email from Purdue saying I needed to do this Alcohol Edu thing. It's mostly for incoming freshman, but because I'm a club sport officer I needed to as well. It's really annoying, going through alcohol awareness theings all the bloody time. There's health classes and things all through middle school and high school and we had a thing through IES at the beginning of the program. Yes, yes, I get the point.
I know it's a good thing for a lot of people, but it annoys me because I tend to pride myself on my common sense - and that's what the IES and Purdue things were full of.
I got my theatre paper started, and I have no idea how I'm going to stretch that out into 1300 words. I guess we'll see. And I found some sources formy Living and Dying research paper. I think I may go wander around Kings Road tomorrow - just to get out of my room - and then really focus on my papers.
My back has been hurting lately - I blame these desk chairs. When I'm sitting in it, I have to sit up and stretch every 5 minutes, and my back pops almost every time I do. Quite annoying.
I think I'm going to migrate to my bed and read some Shakespeare. Another really short entry, but yesterday's (this morning's?) should make up for it. Tomorrow maybe I'll actually get outside... Sunshine and fresh air? Who needs that?
Till then,
-Carly B
It All Ends
OH MY GOODNESS! But more on that later.
I definitely woke up late today - oops. Thankfully Nicole and I both take fast showers so we still made it to class in plenty of time.
Today we talked about realism v naturalism in theatre class. Realism is when a play is realistic, Naturalism is when there is an attention paid to the details that makes it more poetic, almost a super-realism. We had a shorter class because we took the backstage tour later on. I got started on my paper - I'll work on it later today after I get some sleep.
The backstage tour was really neat. There are 3 auditoriums that make up the whole building of the National Theatre, so it's huge! There's 50-odd dressing rooms, plus these massive backstage areas and set building and props departments. Out front there's a book store and restaurants - it's like a mini city.
Then it was time to watch the Cherry Orchard. The play is set in Russia, so I was expecting them to have Russian accents, but I was glad they didn't - I tend to have a tough time interpreting what they're saying. The show was good - it was another uplifting but sad one. One of the main characters, Varya, looked really familiar to me, and it eventually clicked - she played Charlotte Lucas in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice! I was excited by that :D
Then Jory, Lanita and I were off to Leicester Aquare - super happy and turning giddy. I met up with Jasmine and KB (who I'd booked tickets with) and we talked as we waited to go inside. We're all huge Harry Potter nerds, so it was fun and we all were so bloody excited.
Then we got to go inside. We had assigned seats, and ours were in the fourth row - it was amazing to watch from there. We wanted the 3D glasses to be the Harry Potter glasses, but they weren't :[ We took a ton of pictures with IES people - Jasmine and I had wands so we were rather popular. The seats were animal print and really comfy - KB wanted to take hers home with her :]
There's a new Three Musketeers coming out that looks like it'll be really cool. Just a side note.
I won't go into the movie here so I don't give anything away - I'll just say that I loved it :D
And so, after the longest sustained adrenaline rush of my life, Harry Potter is done. Jasmine and I raised our wands and yelled 'Mischief Managed!' at the end, and then I started crying. I grew up with Harry Potter, and I can't help but feel like part of my childhood has died. I know there's my fanfiction and JKR's new Pottermore thing, but it's really weird to think that there's not going to be any more books or movies. It makes me sad.
When we got back to the res hall, Jasmine and I wanted to hang for a little while so I went to her room and we talked. I like Jasmine, we agreed that we need to hang out sometime.
And yeah, it;s 5.30a and the sun has risen - it's shining in my face. I'm going to sleep, maybe just till 1 this afternoon. Well, the people in central time still haven't seen the movie - ha! :D
Till then,
-Carly B
HARRY POTTER SPOILER ALERT!!
I know I said I wouldn't say anything, but I can't just finish this entry without talking about the movie, so if you don't want to know anything yet STOP READING NOW! Start reading again at tomorrow's (tonight's) post :D
OH MY GOODNESS! It was amazing! I want to see it again!
They changed a bunch of things, but I felt like they fit the movie well. For instance, Harry and Voldemort have this long, prolonged chase after Harry reveals that he's still alive - that doesn't happen in the book.
However, they did still have Mrs Weasley's 'Not my daughter, you bitch!' line. That was really well done - everyone cheered in the theatre :D They almost made it seem like Neville wouldn't kill Nagini - Ron and Hermione were trying, but then Neville comes swinging Gryffindor's Sword and it was so cool :D
Alan Rickman is a god. I really like him - and one of my favourite lines was amazing.
'After all this time?'
'Always.'
I love that line, and if they had cut it I might have had to kill someone.
Helena Bonham Carter was good too - she's one of my favourite actresses. It was fun to see her as Hermione impersonating Bellatrix - it was so different from how she normally is :]
God, I knew I was going to cry. When they showed the Weasleys crying over Fred's body, the tears started pooling. Then they cut to a shot of Remus and Tonks lying next to each other - their hands were reaching towards each other - and a few tears escaped. Then, as Harry was walking to his death, he was talking with his parents, Sirius and Remus. Lily's line 'You've been so brave' always tears at my heart, but then she said it and they just kept cutting to her face - the tears were flowing.
So, basically, the whole movie just teared out my heart, ripped it apart and started tap dancing on the pieces. I wouldn't have it any other way though :']
Oh, it was so cool to see the midnight release. Everyone was obviously fans, so the whole theatre was cheering for Neville killing Nagini, and when Ron and Hermione finally kiss. It was an amazing experience - and one I hope to remember forever.
I definitely woke up late today - oops. Thankfully Nicole and I both take fast showers so we still made it to class in plenty of time.
Today we talked about realism v naturalism in theatre class. Realism is when a play is realistic, Naturalism is when there is an attention paid to the details that makes it more poetic, almost a super-realism. We had a shorter class because we took the backstage tour later on. I got started on my paper - I'll work on it later today after I get some sleep.
The backstage tour was really neat. There are 3 auditoriums that make up the whole building of the National Theatre, so it's huge! There's 50-odd dressing rooms, plus these massive backstage areas and set building and props departments. Out front there's a book store and restaurants - it's like a mini city.
Then it was time to watch the Cherry Orchard. The play is set in Russia, so I was expecting them to have Russian accents, but I was glad they didn't - I tend to have a tough time interpreting what they're saying. The show was good - it was another uplifting but sad one. One of the main characters, Varya, looked really familiar to me, and it eventually clicked - she played Charlotte Lucas in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice! I was excited by that :D
Then Jory, Lanita and I were off to Leicester Aquare - super happy and turning giddy. I met up with Jasmine and KB (who I'd booked tickets with) and we talked as we waited to go inside. We're all huge Harry Potter nerds, so it was fun and we all were so bloody excited.
Then we got to go inside. We had assigned seats, and ours were in the fourth row - it was amazing to watch from there. We wanted the 3D glasses to be the Harry Potter glasses, but they weren't :[ We took a ton of pictures with IES people - Jasmine and I had wands so we were rather popular. The seats were animal print and really comfy - KB wanted to take hers home with her :]
There's a new Three Musketeers coming out that looks like it'll be really cool. Just a side note.
I won't go into the movie here so I don't give anything away - I'll just say that I loved it :D
And so, after the longest sustained adrenaline rush of my life, Harry Potter is done. Jasmine and I raised our wands and yelled 'Mischief Managed!' at the end, and then I started crying. I grew up with Harry Potter, and I can't help but feel like part of my childhood has died. I know there's my fanfiction and JKR's new Pottermore thing, but it's really weird to think that there's not going to be any more books or movies. It makes me sad.
When we got back to the res hall, Jasmine and I wanted to hang for a little while so I went to her room and we talked. I like Jasmine, we agreed that we need to hang out sometime.
And yeah, it;s 5.30a and the sun has risen - it's shining in my face. I'm going to sleep, maybe just till 1 this afternoon. Well, the people in central time still haven't seen the movie - ha! :D
Till then,
-Carly B
HARRY POTTER SPOILER ALERT!!
I know I said I wouldn't say anything, but I can't just finish this entry without talking about the movie, so if you don't want to know anything yet STOP READING NOW! Start reading again at tomorrow's (tonight's) post :D
OH MY GOODNESS! It was amazing! I want to see it again!
They changed a bunch of things, but I felt like they fit the movie well. For instance, Harry and Voldemort have this long, prolonged chase after Harry reveals that he's still alive - that doesn't happen in the book.
However, they did still have Mrs Weasley's 'Not my daughter, you bitch!' line. That was really well done - everyone cheered in the theatre :D They almost made it seem like Neville wouldn't kill Nagini - Ron and Hermione were trying, but then Neville comes swinging Gryffindor's Sword and it was so cool :D
Alan Rickman is a god. I really like him - and one of my favourite lines was amazing.
'After all this time?'
'Always.'
I love that line, and if they had cut it I might have had to kill someone.
Helena Bonham Carter was good too - she's one of my favourite actresses. It was fun to see her as Hermione impersonating Bellatrix - it was so different from how she normally is :]
God, I knew I was going to cry. When they showed the Weasleys crying over Fred's body, the tears started pooling. Then they cut to a shot of Remus and Tonks lying next to each other - their hands were reaching towards each other - and a few tears escaped. Then, as Harry was walking to his death, he was talking with his parents, Sirius and Remus. Lily's line 'You've been so brave' always tears at my heart, but then she said it and they just kept cutting to her face - the tears were flowing.
So, basically, the whole movie just teared out my heart, ripped it apart and started tap dancing on the pieces. I wouldn't have it any other way though :']
Oh, it was so cool to see the midnight release. Everyone was obviously fans, so the whole theatre was cheering for Neville killing Nagini, and when Ron and Hermione finally kiss. It was an amazing experience - and one I hope to remember forever.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Day at the Museum(s)
I actually wanted my blanket last night and didn't wake up dripping! It was exciting.
I didn't realise how light my hair had gotten (from being bleached when I dyed it red) - I was confused for a moment this morning, it looked like I was going blonde :] I liked the red streaks, maybe I'll do it again sometime.
Harry Potter comes out tomorrow night! And I'm going to see the midnight release, in London! Goodness, I'm so bloody excited! And I'm definitely wearing my Hufflepuff shirt tomorrow :D
The quiz in Living and Dying today wasn't too bad. I know I got one wrong - the Great Fire didn't start on 3 September, it started on 2 September at 3 in the morning (I knew there was a 3 in there somewhere...).
Then we went to the Foundling Museum. It was pretty cool to see. When mothers brought their babies in, they left tokens so they could reclaim their child if they could take care of it. Some of the tokens were on display, and some of them were rather interesting. I saw a fish, a ring and a miniature arm. We could also do the lottery thing that the mothers had to do to see if their baby would be admitted - I got the white ball, my baby was in! :D
Then I saw that Handel had been a Governor for the hospital - I went upstairs and saw the floor dedicated to him. It was really cool to see the original score for Messiah - I've played it often enough to be able to start singing the second violin part on cue and I was able to figure out where in the song the score was opened to :] Then I had the song stuck in my head until after lunch when I put my headphones in.
After I ate my lunch, I went to the British Museum. When looking online to make sure it would be open, I saw suggested plans for if you had one or three hours. I debated printing one off at the Centre, but decided to just wing it. I saw this cool room about the Enlightenment with things like astrolabes and a model of the Solar System, as well as an early mortgage written on a large brick. Next I came across a room of Native American things, based on the region of the tribe. That was really cool to see - I like learning about them. And then there was an Easter Island statue.
I wanted to see the Rosetta Stone, so I decided to get a map after all. I didn't really want to wander around all afternoon and not see it after all. When I looked, I saw that I was on the wrong side of the museum after all. Heh.
Then I made it to the room where the stone was, I didn't have to look long - there was a large group of people gathered around it. It was neat to see the Stone, but the people were kinda annoying so I moved on rather quickly.
When I did look around the room the stone was in, I got excited - it was full of ancient Egyptian sculptures and architecture and things. Ancient Egypt was always interesting to learn about for me, so I was probably smiling like a fool as I walked around. And I really don't care all that much :D
I was proud of myself - I remembered something before I read about it! I saw a large statue of a Pharoh and I remembered that his crown meant that he was leader of either Upper or Lower Egypt, I just couldn't rememebr which was which until I read the plaquard - the double crown was for Lower Egypt (which is actually to the North - it has to do with the fact that the Nile runs northwards) and the smooth singular crown was for Upper Egypt.
I looked at my map to see where I wanted to go next and saw Greece and Rome and said 'Ooh, I want to go there!'
I also really like learning about ancient Greece and Rome. Let's just say that I love history and leave it at that. So, basically, this is my perfect museum :D
The downstairs Greece rooms had sections of the Parthenon - those were really neat to look at. Then I went upstairs and found more Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome rooms! I really liked how many figurines there were of the Greek and Roman gods - I find ancient mythology absolutely fascinating. There were also a ton of heads of Roman emperors - Julius Caesar was missing half of his face and the bust of Agustus looked really creepy.
Next on my list was to go through all of the Europe rooms. First up was Medeival Europe, where my camera died. I decided to charge it up and return, rather than look at everything and not remember what I wanted pictures of later. So, I made my way back to my room and to upload my 120 pictures from the day :D Like I said, it's my perfect museum ;] I'm on part four of my Summer 2011 picture albums on facebook, I wonder how many I'll have total. I've still got 2 weeks of IES, a trip to Cornwall and my family joining me before I even get out of England. And then we're going to Scotland and Ireland. Good thing my memory card can hold 2500 pictures at a time :D
My next post will be after I've seen Harry Potter! Eep, I'm psyched!
Till then,
-Carly the Hufflepuff
(who is a particularly good FINDer)
(That's from A Very Potter Musical, don't worry if you don't get it.)
(Though, remember, killing people doesn't make them like you - it just makes them dead :D )
I didn't realise how light my hair had gotten (from being bleached when I dyed it red) - I was confused for a moment this morning, it looked like I was going blonde :] I liked the red streaks, maybe I'll do it again sometime.
Harry Potter comes out tomorrow night! And I'm going to see the midnight release, in London! Goodness, I'm so bloody excited! And I'm definitely wearing my Hufflepuff shirt tomorrow :D
The quiz in Living and Dying today wasn't too bad. I know I got one wrong - the Great Fire didn't start on 3 September, it started on 2 September at 3 in the morning (I knew there was a 3 in there somewhere...).
Then we went to the Foundling Museum. It was pretty cool to see. When mothers brought their babies in, they left tokens so they could reclaim their child if they could take care of it. Some of the tokens were on display, and some of them were rather interesting. I saw a fish, a ring and a miniature arm. We could also do the lottery thing that the mothers had to do to see if their baby would be admitted - I got the white ball, my baby was in! :D
Then I saw that Handel had been a Governor for the hospital - I went upstairs and saw the floor dedicated to him. It was really cool to see the original score for Messiah - I've played it often enough to be able to start singing the second violin part on cue and I was able to figure out where in the song the score was opened to :] Then I had the song stuck in my head until after lunch when I put my headphones in.
After I ate my lunch, I went to the British Museum. When looking online to make sure it would be open, I saw suggested plans for if you had one or three hours. I debated printing one off at the Centre, but decided to just wing it. I saw this cool room about the Enlightenment with things like astrolabes and a model of the Solar System, as well as an early mortgage written on a large brick. Next I came across a room of Native American things, based on the region of the tribe. That was really cool to see - I like learning about them. And then there was an Easter Island statue.
I wanted to see the Rosetta Stone, so I decided to get a map after all. I didn't really want to wander around all afternoon and not see it after all. When I looked, I saw that I was on the wrong side of the museum after all. Heh.
Then I made it to the room where the stone was, I didn't have to look long - there was a large group of people gathered around it. It was neat to see the Stone, but the people were kinda annoying so I moved on rather quickly.
When I did look around the room the stone was in, I got excited - it was full of ancient Egyptian sculptures and architecture and things. Ancient Egypt was always interesting to learn about for me, so I was probably smiling like a fool as I walked around. And I really don't care all that much :D
I was proud of myself - I remembered something before I read about it! I saw a large statue of a Pharoh and I remembered that his crown meant that he was leader of either Upper or Lower Egypt, I just couldn't rememebr which was which until I read the plaquard - the double crown was for Lower Egypt (which is actually to the North - it has to do with the fact that the Nile runs northwards) and the smooth singular crown was for Upper Egypt.
I looked at my map to see where I wanted to go next and saw Greece and Rome and said 'Ooh, I want to go there!'
I also really like learning about ancient Greece and Rome. Let's just say that I love history and leave it at that. So, basically, this is my perfect museum :D
The downstairs Greece rooms had sections of the Parthenon - those were really neat to look at. Then I went upstairs and found more Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome rooms! I really liked how many figurines there were of the Greek and Roman gods - I find ancient mythology absolutely fascinating. There were also a ton of heads of Roman emperors - Julius Caesar was missing half of his face and the bust of Agustus looked really creepy.
Next on my list was to go through all of the Europe rooms. First up was Medeival Europe, where my camera died. I decided to charge it up and return, rather than look at everything and not remember what I wanted pictures of later. So, I made my way back to my room and to upload my 120 pictures from the day :D Like I said, it's my perfect museum ;] I'm on part four of my Summer 2011 picture albums on facebook, I wonder how many I'll have total. I've still got 2 weeks of IES, a trip to Cornwall and my family joining me before I even get out of England. And then we're going to Scotland and Ireland. Good thing my memory card can hold 2500 pictures at a time :D
My next post will be after I've seen Harry Potter! Eep, I'm psyched!
Till then,
-Carly the Hufflepuff
(who is a particularly good FINDer)
(That's from A Very Potter Musical, don't worry if you don't get it.)
(Though, remember, killing people doesn't make them like you - it just makes them dead :D )
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Love is like a Stormtrooper: it usually misses.
Well, the Betty Blue Eyes presentation wasn't too bad, it felt like I held my own. Now I just need to figure out what I can write a 1300 word paper on. The thing that interested me most was the amount of instruments in the pit and all the interesting ones - there was a violin, cello, clarinet, those normal ones and then there was a mandolin, euphonium (a mini-tuba sort of thing), 3 kinds of horn and an accordian. Not your typical instruments for a pit. Maybe I can do something with that, or maybe something about how the pit was on the stage instead of up front.
When I got back to the room, I decided to let myself have 2 hours to relax and do whatever until I needed to get working on things.
Since I don't get twitter sent to my phone while I'm here, I checked it today to see if there were any interesting ones. I saw one from the Death Star PR department - 'Love is like a Stormtrooper: it usually misses.' I was laughing pretty good at that one :D
Then my time was up and I started getting my thoughts together for my Living and Dying research paper. I have my plan outlined and some cases picked out to reference - I just need to do a bit more research and I can start writing. It's a good thing I don't have anything going on this weekend - I want to write my theatre paper and get most of my research paper written because the next weekend I'll be in Cornwall and then I'm done. The nice thing about having a research paper is that I won't have a final :D I will have one for the theatre class though.
Tonight the student assistants organised a trip to another bar, but I didn't go. I'm hoping to save some money and I have class tomorrow. Instead, I found The Road to El Dorado! I love that movie - it's a rather underrated movie in my opinion. I didn't realise this before, but Elton John, Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer all worked on the music/soundtrack. It's like the Lion King crew just transferred straight over! Maybe that's why I like the songs so much... :D
Well, like I said, I have class tomorrow and I've got a quiz in that class, so I want to try and get more sleep than normal (we'll see how well that works...).
Till then,
-Carly
PS - thank God for auto draft saves. I went to publish this post and something went wrong, and when I went back it was gone. I was not going to be happy.
But it's all good now! :D
When I got back to the room, I decided to let myself have 2 hours to relax and do whatever until I needed to get working on things.
Since I don't get twitter sent to my phone while I'm here, I checked it today to see if there were any interesting ones. I saw one from the Death Star PR department - 'Love is like a Stormtrooper: it usually misses.' I was laughing pretty good at that one :D
Then my time was up and I started getting my thoughts together for my Living and Dying research paper. I have my plan outlined and some cases picked out to reference - I just need to do a bit more research and I can start writing. It's a good thing I don't have anything going on this weekend - I want to write my theatre paper and get most of my research paper written because the next weekend I'll be in Cornwall and then I'm done. The nice thing about having a research paper is that I won't have a final :D I will have one for the theatre class though.
Tonight the student assistants organised a trip to another bar, but I didn't go. I'm hoping to save some money and I have class tomorrow. Instead, I found The Road to El Dorado! I love that movie - it's a rather underrated movie in my opinion. I didn't realise this before, but Elton John, Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer all worked on the music/soundtrack. It's like the Lion King crew just transferred straight over! Maybe that's why I like the songs so much... :D
Well, like I said, I have class tomorrow and I've got a quiz in that class, so I want to try and get more sleep than normal (we'll see how well that works...).
Till then,
-Carly
PS - thank God for auto draft saves. I went to publish this post and something went wrong, and when I went back it was gone. I was not going to be happy.
But it's all good now! :D
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