Look out London, I made my West End debut!

Now that the power has been restored to the house, I can update my lovely blog! Over the weekend, I had the privilege to hang out with a few youngsters...Liz's aunt, uncle, and little cousins were in London, and they needed a babysitter. So, on Saturday and Sunday I got to be with Bella and Finn. They were absolutely adorable and so much fun! I hope their trip to London was fantastic. Now, they're in Paris visiting Liz, so hopefully they have fun there as well.

On Monday morning, I finally splurged a little and went to Primark, a huge store with decently cheap clothes. I decided to fit in with the trendy London fashions...finally! On Tuesday, my theatre class went to Kingston to the Rose Theatre. It is shaped like the Globe Theatre, but instead of standing in the pit, the audience sits on the floor which is exactly what we did. I didn't mind at all considering I was that much closer to Dame Judi Dench! She played an amazing, slightly unconventional, Titania in Midsummer Night's Dream. I had never seen it or read the play before the class, so I didn't know the ending. But, the man who played Bottom stole the show, in my opinion. He was absolutely hilarious! Loved the whole play! I can't wait to see 12th Night next week!

Wednesday night was, of course, St. Patrick's Day. Needless to say, we celebrated the correct way. I wore a ridiculous hat to the pubs...I didn't have a Guinness, because they looked and smelled disgusting. Most of the pubs you could get a free Guinness with a coupon, and a lot of the people in our group had to choke it down. We had to make up for the horrible parade on Sunday for St. Patty's Day...it was more like a bunch of people walking down the street. No candy either. I think Tulip Time's parade is better, in fact, I'm certain it is.
On Thursday, it was in the mid-sixties, so after class I went to Green Park which is just across the street from Buckingham Palace. I sat by a tree and wrote in my journal for about two hours. I didn't have a jacket, just a small cardigan. Apparently I was popular because a woman asked to take my picture for a photography class while I wrote by the tree. She had a man with her sit nearby the tree, and while he pretended to read I just wrote. She took pictures...maybe one day the photo will be famous. Ha! Another instance, a man started talking to me about where I was from and wished me a good day. I think the good weather makes Londoners a little more friendly!

On Thursday night, the power went out in Vandon House. Mark told us to go to dinner or go to the cinema, and they would reimburse us later. Kiley and I already ate at Nando's (a great chicken place and the only place you can get free refills), so we got a group of us to go see The Bounty Hunter (hilarious, but the way). Most of the previews were American films, but a few British films were thrown in. And, the commercials were very different, except the Coke advertisement. It is weird to think that everyone is seeing it from another angle. They aren't American, but are watching people drive on the other side of the rode or talk about things in the States. It is fascinating to think about it from that view point. They know so much more about our culture than we do theirs, and that's really sad and disappointing. In fact, I really wanted to see a movie called Cemetery Junction. It looked really good, and it was a British movie.

Well, today was pretty spectacular. Because Kiley and I never get to see each other, we decided to spend the weekend together. We got front row tickets to see Hairspray for tonight's performance! The aisle went down the middle, so the front row was split in two. I was on one of the ends by the aisle with Kiley next to me. Close to the end of the play, I hear someone running down the aisle and feel a spotlight on me. A character from the play starts talking to me about standing up so she could get through because they told her it was the quickest way! I think I blushed because my face got really hot. Everyone on stage and the audience was looking at me. The musical really interacted with the audience. It was all a part of the show, but they asked the front row to stand. Then the woman said, "This is what you get for buying the cheap seats!" I loved the show! And, I made my debut on the West End...no speaking lines, but my part was essential. ;) So much fun, and it made you want to dance! Another show down, and I get to see Les Miserables next week!

I was asked to make a shout out...my brother told me that my high school volleyball coach and his daughter were reading my blog, and that they wanted a shout out! So, hi Fess and Brooke, greetings from London!

Busy week and weekend ahead! Michelle and I are going to Paris on Thursday, so I'm really excited. Cheers!