We went to see "Much Ado About Nothing" tonight. It was absolutely fantastic... by far one of the best companies I've seen put on a Shakespeare production. I've seen my fair share of Shakespeare, even done a few, but I am convinced without an outstanding cast, Shakespeare is nothing but beautifully crafted words. Don't get me wrong, reading Shakespeare is fantastic... but watching it isn't always so easy. If the actors don't have clear goals behind each action and word, often the audience gets lost in a sea of confusing text and the play is unappreciated. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this production (and the fact that students only pay three pounds for a ticket!!)
Since we arrived seperately to the production, here's a post-show photograph in the upstairs corridor of our house. Please excuse the frizzies; it rained all the way home!!
Other than the show, today was pretty quiet. Caleb and I went to check out the Glee Club; neither of us plan on joining. I ate dessert six times. AAAAND I planned a weekend trip to Cardiff. So, even though it was a quiet day, I'd say it was pretty successful.
If you've been following my life for a while, you'll know by now that I'm not a person who likes to "sit around". I feel very unproductive when I'm not doing something. I understand that many of the ways I choose to spend my time aren't necessarily what you would call "productive" though. Never the less, an afternoon spent walking around town is better than an afternoon spent in my room. Which is exactly what I'm doing right now... and possibly also why I've spent the last 6 hours eating my feelings.
Just ask my room-mate, Caleb. He found out just how stir-crazy I get when I don't have an activity to keep me entertained. So, doing the best he could to keep me from eating a second bag of eclairs, he called a craft night. AKA: Let's cut stuff up and draw marshmallows with feelings.
Knowing this would inevitably end up in hilarity, I decided to take a few pictures... however, some of the feelings the marshmallows expressed are not suitable for all ages, so I have only included the blank slate.
Some times all you need is a pair of scissors and a sharpie to make the world better.
This was our pile of victims... ahem... scrap paper.
Caleb working diligently on his marshmallow shapes.
My inspirational art... haha.
More scraps of crap to add life to my bland walls.
The marshmallow clan. Lookin' good.
So, obviously, I'm going a little stir crazy only having 3 classes... I know I shouldn't complain. But with a limited budget and even less room... I'm starting to wish it wasn't illegal for me to work overseas.
Last Friday night the school hosted something called "Freshers Ball," which from what I understood was a cross between prom and a rave... Now, while that all sounds like a good time, they charged 15 pounds for entry, and I could think of about 74 things I'd rather spend my moolah on. I wasn't alone in this thought- so, seven of us ended up getting all dolled up and eating at "The Carvery" across from the village. They have thanksgiving style food... cranberries, freshly carved turkey, mashed potatoes... and it's all unlimited!
Of course, no "prom/rave" would be complete without a photo session. This one perfectly depicts our group. Caleb- always bracing himself for what might come out of Courtney's or my mouth. Courtney and I- always being silly and saying/doing the weirdest things. Melissa- being absolutely adorable at all times.
Nick was so proud of his 41 pound suit. He went on and on about how good he looked all night... so of course, he had to be the center of our prom affections in this picture.
These girls mean the world to me. Allison, Bianca, Courtney, and Melissa are what keep me sane. Each girl is so amazing in her own way. I love 'em already!
Of course the night was not over for the true "prom dates". After dinner, Courtney and I had some serious food babies to dance off so we headed down to Wind Street with Kyle, Alex, Bas, and Freddie and danced the night away! Again, I should have brought my own camera with me, because it was a night that definitely deserved to be photographed all the way through.
Mad Love.
My apologies for being fairly blog negligent for the last week. I have been out exploring Swansea! Since I was a few days late, I missed out on a lot of group sight-seeing; when I was ready to see things, they'd already been seen, so I didn't have company for a bit!! Thankfully, after we were all settled in our little bungalows, people were ready to get out and about again!!
I know you're probably going to hate me for this, but I also neglected to bring my camera along for most of my journeys. I know you're supposed to be able to see the world through my eyes... But I don't know if my lens can do it justice. Plus, my camera is pretty bulky, and not always carry-along friendly. However, I did manage to snap some pictures of my week so far!!
Of course, You know I went to London!! This was taken outside of Buckingham Palace! It was such a gorgeous day. Jacqueline, Melissa, and Alex are three of my good girl friends here... and of course, the girl on the far right is me ;)
This is the Caleb "friggin" Dobster... who is one of my flat mates and soulbrothas. A few of us went to the beach the other day, because it's been abnormally nice here lately, and played a little frisbee. Well, Courtney and I took a little beach nap, but the rest played.
Here are Allison and Melissa on the bus to the beach. We must ride this bus 6 times a day, whether we're going to town, school, or even Mumbles to do a bit of shopping.
Taking some time for a much needed beach afternoon with my girl, Courtney. She is probably one of my favorite people in the world right now. #GoldenGrahamsFuheva
We tried to get a shot with the beach in the background... which obviously was only possible if my camera was lodged in a pile of twigs... Hey, you get what you pay for.
This is on the walk back from the beach. It's the pathway from the main road to campus, and it's absolutely beautiful in the evening.
This, however, is probably the highlight of my week, so far. TACO SALAD. We have been trying to continue our "family dinner" tradition, since we are all split up in the Village now. Thank the Lawd for Taco Bell seasoning; without my TB... I may be a royal pain. Some of our other dinners have included Spaghetti, Hamburgers and 4 cakes, and tonight: Chicken and Potatoes. MMM.
There are more photos to come, of course, because others bring their cameras an we share via Facebook. It's just a matter of when they choose to post their pictures ;) I mean, what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't share our "Uni Prom Pictures" with you?! ...Be excited... be very excited.
One of my favorite things in the entire world is live music. So, what is the first thing I book when coming to a different country? A concert, of course. The Wombats to be exact!
The Wombats are a poppy trio from Liverpool known for their fun stage presence and witty lyrics. While I have been a fan of them for a while, they rarely come to the states, so it was a treat to see them while I was here! (Yes, I know they'll be in the states next month... but hey, I'm HERE now.) As expected, they were lively and silly... and above all, amazing perfomers. I was glad they proved true to recordings; often you'll see a band you LOVE in studio, but that isn't quite up to par in their live performance. Mind you, they're not as vocally savvy as say... Josh Groban... but, hey, they're not trying to be!
Two of my good girlfriends in Swansea- Alex and Melissa- accompanied me to the show, and it couldn't have been a better trip! We even got to satisfy our Sushi desires! MMM. I wish I would have snapped some pictures to show just how yummy it was. It's nice to have such a close group of friends, already! I will have to introduce you in the next few weeks... I'm sure you'll be hearing lots about them. But for now, it's definitely time to sleep.
8:40 PM: My contacts are dry. I fell asleep as soon as we got on the bus; about two hours ago. I can't decide if the dryness is from sleeping or weeping. Seriously, you guys. WICKED was amazing. Reinforced a lot of things for me.
I sat in the second row, which allowed me to almost quite literally participate in the show from my seat. Musical theatre is infectious. Our Elphaba and Galinda were both understudies today... Which was actually a positive. Elphie started off calm, but began to blow me away after a few songs. G was equally amazing; starting strong with those insane high notes in "No One Mourns The Wicked". Sometimes i feel like the understudies give the show new life. However, Fiyero was characteristically perfect: beginning strong with "Dancing Through Life" and leading me through a such a strong journey of character development that I nearly jumped over the man in front of me during "As Long As You're Mine" to return the butt grab he had just laid on Elphie.
I nearly lost an eyeball, to a rushing river of tears, during "For Good". It was the only time I didn't see Galinda and Elphaba. I saw Maren. And me. It was pretty hard to watch that scene; I'm missing her big time. It did, however, rejuvenate my desire to be onstage... Especially in WICKED... With my beautiful best friend.
All in all, it was an incredible show... And an incredible day. I haven't even mentioned Buckingham Palace, Millennium Bridge, Platform 9 & 3/4, or The Globe... I'll save that for later. For now, it's back to sleep on the bus.
Mad Love.
6:56: The sun is rising in Bristol. We are on the second train from Swansea to London, after our first train failed miserably to arrive at our final location. I suppose it's a good thing we tool the 3:30 am train for a 2:30 pm show. This is definitely cutting into valuable Rachel McAdams time, though, which is never a good thing.
I suppose I should explain. Miss McAdams is filming exactly 7.2 miles from the theatre I'm attending WICKED at today... That means I'll be spending approximately 7.2 hours searching for her, around the vicinity, to finally tell her that I think we should be best friends in more than just my dreams.
The sunrise isn't as beautiful as I'd expected. It's rather dismal and grey. I guess that's why they call it London Fog. Makes me sleepy. Train nap, anyone?
Mad Love.
