Traveling home and thinking back...

Deb and I fell asleep before we packed a thing. We woke up bright and early at 4am to accomplish the task. We fit everything in our suitcase, but were a little concerned about the weight factor. We left our hotel at 5am to venture to the metro station. We had three connections that were actually perfect timing for us before we caught a shuttle to the airport, arriving in plenty of time for our plane and right after Jenny landed back in Maryland. We were able to explore the terminal a bit before our flight and do some last minute souvenir shopping before we sat down at our gate.

Our plane was to board at 9am and right at the time we got the news that our flight was canceled. Now I had promised Deb to be calmer for this pre-flight journey (I stress over bags, checking in, security, etc.) But at this news I could not remain calm. We quickly got in line at the counter and Deb called a number they gave us to try to rebook a flight very soon. She got through and found a flight that landed at 12:50am the next day, but I heard 12:50pm and was very firm on that not being sufficient as I had class the next day at 11am and 2:10pm, neither of which I would be able to make with a flight at that time. She finally got me to understand the time so she booked it, but we stayed in line as people seemed to be booking earlier flights as they got to the front of the counter. When we were the next ones in line the staff informed us that they had to move to the next flight coming into that gate and we needed to relocate to a different area for information. Deb and I booked it to that place and waited in line to find they were booking most people on a flight that departed at 1pm and arrived in Dulles at 8:50pm. While not ideal it was good enough. We were switching airlines to United so we were directed to baggage claim; in less than an hour our bags would be there. That proved to be completely inaccurate.

Regrettably we learned we would have to go through security and check-in all over again so we had to throw away some of the food and beverages we bought, but we waited patiently at the baggage claim. For one hour, then two, and in the end over three. They placed our flights bags back with the mainstream ones and were now trying to locate them. It seemed completely disorganized to me and ridiculous as we neared closer and closer to our new flight's departure time. We got our bags finally, after all their promises that they would be a few minutes for hours a little before 12:30pm for our 1:05am flight. There were some other students coming from New Zealand that were having our same issue so at least we weren't alone. We were at terminal 3 for our bags and our flight took off from terminal 7. We ran, with all of our bags, from one to the other (no short distance let me tell you), my legs were about ready to fall off when we rode the escalator up to check-in. We were met with a line at United and only one worker. (At baggage claim we were asking the staff if they could call over to our check-in and security and see if there was anyway for them to speed us through since our bags were not coming very quickly, but they simply told us they could not guarantee anything). A couple was at the counter for over 15 minutes, we have no idea what was taking them so long. Thankfully we learned our flight was delayed thirty minutes giving us a slightly larger window and one of the members of the other group was able to check in slightly earlier (his bag came before the rest of us) and he went to find assistance from United who helped us all cut the line and check in. We had to pay for our bags all over again, which American promised us we wouldn't, but time was running out so we did that before rushing over to security. Taking off your shoes, belt, coat, removing your liquids and computer from your bag all for the second time was very annoying when we were under such a time crunch, but we made it through and hurried to the gate. No one was even boarding yet and the time of the plane's take-off was getting delayed, leaving me wondering if our flight at 3:15 which had a layover in Dallas and had us landing at 12:50pm but was at least with American (so we wouldn't have had to check our bags all over again and such or run from terminals) would have been the same landing time at this point. We did board an hour late and Deb and I were not seated next to each other because of our late booking of the flight. She did get a seat with more leg room, which was good for her, and I was in an aisle seat. The stewardesses rushed to get us airborne as many of the people on the plane had connecting flights to make.

The overall plane ride was pretty boring and I was not able to sleep for very much at all. We landed after 10pm and it took a while for our bags to come through (not over three hours, but still a while), but our bags did make it YAY! While we arrived much later than we anticipated, but it did mean we did not have to deal with the rush hour traffic of DC. When we got home I literally grabbed clothes and shoved them in a bag and we were off to school. I did say hello to my brother before we departed and apologized to my dad for our very quick departure. We were on the road by 11:30pm. We stopped at a McDonald's in Clarksville for our first "meal" of the day (having had a small breakfast before our original plane was to take off. I guess you need to be flying for at least 6 hours to get a meal because for 5 hours you don't even get peanuts or a bag of pretzels). It was below freezing on our drive and it did begin to rain/sleet, but we did make it safely to school around 1:30am. I took minimal items into my dorm because it was so late and so cold. I ended up simply taking a shower, throwing some blankets on my bed and going to sleep at around 3am. I was pretty tired as I had gotten around 2 hours of sleep the night before and had been up for almost 24 hours that day, with a full day of classes awaiting me when I woke up.


Looking back, I am very glad I went on the trip, but it did not leave me wanting to move to LA and become involved in the film industry. First of all the traffic is absolutely horrible out there. Secondly, the experience did not leave me with a positive outlook on making it into the movie industry; you basically need to know someone who knows someone and not have a fall back plan or you will never make it in the industry because there are no openings out there. Even though the weather was nice and warm, it became too warm by the end of the trip (partly because we were not expecting it to be quite that warm so we did not have the appropriate attire) and we were ready to go home. When we got back Deb and I had so much fun just blowing in the air and seeing our breath. The snow seemed out of place on our drive back to school. After walking to class and back in the morning and at night though I wish it was a little bit warmer over here sometimes, but I couldn't trade the snow.

Our time in LA draws to a close

Today was our last official day in LA. Jenny was scheduled to depart at 11:30pm. We started off the morning by exploring downtown LA. Many sources affirmed the necessity to see this monument in downtown so we went. We left the metro station and saw no such monument, which was supposedly right there as you exited. We did see a Denny's however and we decided to eat brunch there. After a little exploration we found this "monument", which we thought was not really all that exciting, but at least we could say we saw it. We ventured a little bit more and then went to abc studios. The studios were on private lots, so we were not able to go inside and tour them, but we did see them and walk all the way up the hill to try and see if we could say more (I am not a hill climber). We never really got too much of a better view, but we did walk all around the studios and explore a bit more of the area than we planned in the process.

We did a little bit of shopping on the street near our hotel, where we were able to find Deb a suitcase and high heels! We went back to the hotel to pick up Jenny's suitcase and then took Jenny to Universal City area, since we thought it was something necessary for her to see. After a little bit of exploration we decided to have a nice sit down dinner. There was very little time to explore afterward and we ventured down the hill and to the metro with her. We thought she was pushing it close, as evident by my worries, but she did catch her flight. Deb and I went back to the hotel to begin the task of packing up and prepare for our flight home in the morning.

photos from our last day in LA

Walking in the path of the Stars

This morning we walked along the streets with stars, but there are just so many we were not able to see them all. We were asked about five thousand times if we wanted a tour, and it was very hard to politely keep saying no thank you, especially when some of them proceeded to be rude. We also explored the hand and foot prints outside the Chinese theater; included were such individuals as some of the Star Wars cast, the Harry Potter trio, Johnny Depp and many others. We ventured to this little mall area for lunch and a bit of shopping and spontanity. We tried to take a picture with the Hollywood sign, which you could see in the distance from the third floor of the mall, but the sign was too far away to get a really good shot.

For the afternoon we took public transportation to Beverly Hills. Getting off the bus in Beverly Hills felt like were were so out of place because it was unbelievably nice. Jenny had a map of famous individual's houses and we explored a little. I felt extremely stalkerish and weird so I did not do as much exploring as Deb and Jenny. We did find Tom Cruises' house and saw a couple limos.

From Beverly Hills we walked towards the Golden Globe location. Our first hotel was actually the wrong one so we ventured further to the correct one. We learned upon arrival if we had been there around 10am we might have gotten passes to go in and see the stars enter, but we were simply across the street trying to catch a glimps of anyone, to no real success. Many limos did pass us by and we even used my long lens to try and see farther. There was some satisfaction in knowing that we were merely feet away from where all the stars were gathered together and we could hear some of the commentary.

We arrived back at the hotel in time to catch the second showing of the Golden Globes and then we passed out before midnight once again.

photos from today

A Day at the Beach...in the middle of winter?

We decided to venture to the beach today. Getting off to a slightly later start than anticipated we traveled on metros and buses to make it to the beach. Along the way we ate lunch at Johnny Rockets, and continued our love of milkshakes on this trip. We also watched a street performance that Deb ended up being a part of. Upon finally sighting the beach we realized it was in fact much lower than us and across a major highway (we were looking off of a cliff). Fortunately they have a tunnel bridge across the highway to assist with this dilemma.

While it has been very warm for us in LA it ended up not quite being warm enough for a beach day excursion, at least not to dip in the water anyway. We laid on the beach for a little while, touched our feet in the water, and took many sunset pictures before deciding to explore the nearby pier. It ended up being dusk and nightfall so the lights came on and it was very pretty. Deb attempted various games: whac a mole, ring toss, darts, and ended up with a killer whale stuffed animal before we started our trek back. It was interrupted to get my name done in creative letters, which I've always seen and thought were cool, but never actually gotten one done before. :) Today was considerably less walking than yesterday, but still a full day of traveling and experiencing LA which left me wiped out again.

photos from today

"Look to my right, and I see the Hollywood sign"

Today was the end of our career immersion part of the trip and the day of Jenny's arrival. We had breakfast for the first time at our hotel. It was pretty good food, but the service was not quite up to par. Deb and I hung out at the hotel after everyone else departed for the airport. We just stayed in the open courtyard awaiting for word from Jenny that she was close. We checked in to our other accommodations with a little arguing with the manager who wanted to change things at the last minute, but it all worked out in the end.

Today's adventure involved going to the Hollywood sign. Now the base of the trail you climb is approximately 3 miles from our hotel, so we walked that. Right as we arrived at the entrance to the trail Deb veered off to climb a separate hill she took an interest in. As Jenny and I climbed this large hill, the sun began to set rapidly so I told Jenny to run on ahead and I would meet her there. Little did I know the adventure this would ensue. Later on in the trail I hit a v and I wondered why Jenny had not waited to inform me which direction she went. I realized that I had Jenny's bag and she had mine and my phone was in my bag. I searched her bag, but alas found no phone. As I stand perplexed at the v in the road I consider the two options: the first is to stay on the front of the mountain, but go down and the second is to go up but go what appears to be behind the Hollywood sign. Neither of these options seem like the correct choice, but I decide to take the path that continues going up, reasoning that maybe it wraps around. After hiking for a while I have officially gone on the other side of the mountain and can now see out to the other side of the city. The sun is almost complete set, and I reason that the next person I see I will ask to borrow their phone and call my phone to find out where the other two are. I do not see anyone else on the hill and it has become completely dark. Needless to say I start to worry a little bit as I climb up this mountain, in the dark, with no phone, and no idea if I am going the correct way. Suddenly I hear a phone ring so I move things around inside Jenny's purse in search of it and find it in a hidden compartment. I answer, but her phone has seen better days and that is no easy task now, and the service goes out (we are up a mountain on what we find out to be opposite sides). I eventually get a signal and call back to find she is on the other side of the mountain and has found Deb and they are perplexed as to where I am but they think they know where I might have went so they are heading that way. I decide to continue up the mountain ans I have reached the side and it looks like it will wrap around and I will hit the Hollywood sign, perhaps both paths come to the sign just from different directions. I reach the end of the path with a tall telephone tower type structure and look below me to see the Hollywood sign is in fact underneath me; I had climbed the entire way up the hill and over the sign. I call Deb and Jenny back and tell them, to their shock, that I am above the sign.

We did eventually meet up and I took them to the top of the sign, as their path never actually took you to the sign. It is completely night before this point so we take pictures, but the lighting was not very good. We even venture up a little mound to take more pictures and look out at the city, before we embark on the trip down the hill and back to the hotel.

On the way back we decided to find food and we ended up going to the Hard Rock Cafe again for dinner. Being pretty exhausted we crashed after that.
photos from today

Dwarves, Walt, and Mickey

Today was our earliest wake up to date on the trip with a meeting time of 8:15am. We then trekked off to Santa Monica to give our presentations. The first group had an idea of pro fighting with kids. Our idea was a beer and wine show around the world. Two hosts would take you around hte world to experience the local drink of the region. You would go from the small family business to the big corporation in each area. Jim called us out on using hand held cameras because "everyone does that" probably because I was in charge of talking about the cinematography. He also applauded us for having Anskar and me seperated int he line-up; he seems to think Anskar and I argue every single moment. The final group did a cheap travel show.

Disney Studios was our next stop and it was AMAZING! We got to go on the lot exploring different stages and we even got to go into the archives. The archives were started by Dave Smith. He retired in November, but he just happened to be there today so he gave us a personal tour of the archives. It was so awesome. We got to see the Wardrobe from the Chronicles of Narnia and so many other things. It was definitley one of the highlights of the trip. They took us back to the hotel from the studios and a few of us decided to go to the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood. We trekked up the metro in Universal and got off at a stop right outside the restaurant. The restaurant was expensive! Our waitor was also pretty bad at service causing Rachel to ask to speak to the manager. Nevertheless it was fun to hang out with a larger group from the trip on our last night. We even got to see a live band (Paper Factory). The next band on was Lifehouse, but it was a closed show so we were not allowed to stay.

Anskar, Paul, MJ, Steph, Deb, and I hung out in our room for the rest of the evening finding really obscure things on television to keep us occupied and producing a great deal of laughter. It's sad to think our trip is over, but it is right in the middle for Deb and I as Jenny arrives tomorrow for our continuing adventure.

photos

Oscar himself

We were told we did not have to dress up today in fact the people we were visiting would look at us weirdly if we did, so today was a jeans day. We made our way to the Academy Film archives. Jim's classmates from Wisconsin grad school work there and gave us a special presentation. We saw some old movies and how they go about restoring the film. Most of us thought it would be a pretty tedious job, but they love it.

From the archives it was a complicated adventure to make it to Jay Leno. We have reserved tickets, but that doesn't mean you get to go in, it simply means you might get in. We had to venture up the same hill to find a taxi cab. I got yelled at walking to the studio because I took a photograph on the street (I guess when you get into the proximity of the studios it is a bad thing). She proceeded to shout at me for a good few minutes. We made it to the studio and waited outside for quite some time and then ventured to right outside hte studio where we got a ticket and then got in another line. It was a long wait and it was a question of whether we would get in. The whole group did get in and our section of the group (Deb, Chennelle, Kathleen, and I) sat in the back left corner. It was really cool to watch a live taping of the show (well sort of live). He films it in an hour segment but it doesn't air until later that night. It was interesting how he was all smiles when the camera was rolling, but then he gets rather solemn when it goes to a "commercial break". They had two guys who came out to keep the energy of the audience up during those breaks. I really liked watching the camera switches and movement of hte steady cam when the signer came on.

After Leno we went to city walk and a bunch of us ate at Panda Express, to the disgust of Jim who told us many times that it is not real Chinese food. Our conversation consisted of many thigns but mainly Jim warning us that our metabolisms would go bad. We went to a brewery area next and explored that a little bit before adventuring back to the hotel.

Since Thursday is our last official day we had to prepare our presentations for the next morning. Dominique, Thomas, Steph, Anskar, and I were in a group and we spent forever trying to come up with an idea. Our idea is a tv show called Port to Port. Hopefully our presentation will go well tomorrow.

(pictures in the same album as the first day)

Does Zeus Live Up Here?

Today was our second day in LA. It was really our first official day. We had to look all professional and meet downstairs for a panel discussion in the missions room. Steph, Deb and I ventured down to the lobby and realized we had no idea where the admissions room was. We must have looked confused because a nice man from Brazil came up and asked if he could help us with anything. Rather than simply telling us where the room was he took us there :) We were the first students to arrive.

The discussions began with three panelists who were Gettysburg Alums: a comedian, and two women who work on the business side of the industry. After them there was a discussion by a UCLA attendee and then recent graduates from Gettysburg who made the move out to Gettysburg. It was a lot of information to take in, but most of them were fairly positive.

After that discussion we made our way to a different alumni's house. We took these little shuttle buses and we went up this massively curvy huge hill. It was quite an adventure and I was so glad I was not driving. It was an incredible view though. We got to meet five individuals in the film industry: actors, directors and such. They were really informative and we had some time at the end to chat with them individually. It was a little awkward with one a group of us were talking with.

There was then a dinner party with President Janet Morgan Riggs in attendance as well as many other alumni and current students. It was really nice. What was funny was everyone was apologizing for the cold weather (it's gorgeous here) and they had stand up heaters on the patio because it was "cold". We all assured them that the weather was quite nice and we all had blizzards back on the East Coast.

(pictures are at the same link as yesterday)

Arriving in LA: Good call little old lady

Since Friday Deb and I have been preparing for our trip to LA. It involved a lot of shopping, much of it very unsuccessful. We were shopping even as we arrived in Gettysburg on Sunday for our pretrip meeting. They took us out to eat at O'Rorkes to eat and I had a crab sandwich. Deb and I then went off to staples in hopes of finding professional type bags and folders for our resume, but it was closed. Walmart lived up to the challenge and Deb and I got matching bags and folders. The next task was finding Eagle apartments, which proved difficult. It is right across from Gary Owens. The apartment is huge, but it was quite cold last night. We ended up getting very little sleep before waking up to meet the group at 5:45 am in Masters Lot. From there we embarked to Dulles airport. Baggages were checked and I made it through security without any hiccups. We had a little bit of time to grab a few items of food before we boarded the plane. Deb was randomly checked with her bag. The planes are getting smaller and smaller. It was quite cramped quarters and Deb and I struggled to sleep on the plane.

We arrived in LA around noon their time so 3pm East coast time. It was so much warmer than the East coast and there are palm trees everywhere! I really like the palm trees. There were no plans scheduled for today so after arriving at the hotel, Steph, Deb and I got changed and decided to go exploring. We first set out to find food. Deb asked an older woman if there were good places to eat and she recommended a little place next to the laundromat. It was an Asian American combination with hamburgers and terriyaki all on the menu. The three of us got turkey club sandwiches and we had milkshakes for dessert. A nice guy offered to take a group photo of us telling us to say "California cheese." Then we went exploring until we came upon a very complicated intersection with a lack of crosswalks. We decided to go a different way which lead us to the Universal area and up a huge hill to the city walk. That area was full of shops and a ton of lights. Walking around in simply t-shirts was comfortable during the day, but it quickly got cold at night. We took a shuttle back to the hotel. We are all getting very tired and even though it isn't even 9pm here we are all getting ready to go to bed. We need to be ready at 9am tomorrow for our full day of activities.

photos from today

The End: back in the US and missing Bath

I can’t believe my trip to England is now over. Today is my first real day at home and unpacking, cleaning, and laundry are in store for me.

I did not get to bed very early Friday night so the morning came too early. We ventured down the hill at 6:45am and the bus was incredibly full. Since this was an issue when they picked us up at the airport at the very beginning you would think they would have planned better this time. I sat next to Professor Ryan and he was very chatty for early in the morning and was all interested in my schedule for next semester when I didn’t want to think about it because I just finished classes let me have some time without any classes.

England security is even more intense than US security. A guy came and asked us a bunch of questions in line and then we went up to check my bags. They were both under 50lbs YAY! The plane ride was pretty uneventful, but longer than the way out. We landed in Newark with announcements on the plane several times telling us that everyone must pick up their bags even if they are connecting. It was a long wait for our bags to come so we all said goodbye while we were waiting. No pictures because its not allowed in the baggage claim area and we all split off there when our bags came because people had connecting flights to catch. Greg was waiting for me and we ventured on to the farm party and I made it home on Sunday at around 3pm.

The trip was absolutely amazing and I’m so glad I went. I can’t believe it’s over already. Five weeks really fly by. It was just an incredible trip and as I unpack now I am already thinking to my scrapbook when I will organize all my adventures. Hopefully I’ll see you all soon if I haven’t seen you already!

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10 things to remember from the trip

1. I found almost 40 lions in Bath

2. I walked up and down that wonderful hill (or slope as they say) over 35 times

3. I realized I am a B+ / A- student who can not break the threshold of a true A

4. Going to London three times is still not enough time to see it all

5. You accumulate a lot of things in 5 weeks

6. Getting around England is so much easier than the US with trains and the tube

7. The Brits dress nicer than Americans and you almost never see them wearing sneakers

8. The Brits are really nice, saying "of course you can my love," remembering your usual, and saying they are going to miss you at the gelato place

9. It doesn't actually rain all the time in England, and most of time it is nice and hot (though they are going into a drought so I'm not sure that weather is typical)

10. I met some really great people and I will miss seeing them all the time

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our first housemate picture (minus Chelsea who hadn't arrived yet)

and our last

July 9: The final tea and the final day in Bath

Our last day in Bath was a busy one and as much as I would like to tell you all about it I should really get to bed as the bus is picking us up at 7am. So this will be brief. After a late night last night I got up a little after 10am and did some shopping. Laura and I then met up to go to the huntsman for lunch complete with fish n chips and our English beer made in Bath (It wasn’t our favorite). Back up the hill to get ready for the tea and then to the hotel down the hill.

The final tea had homemade tea, cucumber sandwiches, something I can’t remember with clotted cream and jam that involved a dispute over the order based on north or south, and lemon cake. We also picked up some goodies including a picture and t-shirt and then headed out to queen park to take a housemate picture. There was little hang out at the Huntman and it was all sad to realize it was all over. The end of the evening was pretty uneventful with packing and cleaning. I am checking two suitcases that both weigh under 50lbs so cross your fingers that all works and the whole baggage issue and customs goes well. Security too we can’t forget that. Tomorrow has me at the Quinn resort so no post, but soon I will leave a wrap up post. In less than 24 hours I will be on US soil.

photos

We've had some great times here and met so many great people. We had such a wonderful house. Thanks for being great guys.

July 8: Last day of classes

Today was the last day of classes. In Jane Austen we did fun activites and a quiz that was not meant for a grade. Laura actually won at that. Between classes Chelsea took us out to find some clothes and I bought a dress. Film class was long, he let us out 15 minutes late (really! It’s the last class, we had to take a quiz and be ready for write night and he lets us out late). The quiz was hard of course. We practiced our reading again and then we headed over to the Huntsman.

We were on the list first. It went pretty well there was a lot of laughter and later people said it was really good so yay! A lot of the other acts were really good too. (It’s kinda late so I will spare long details and a long post so I actually get to sleep) After write night we came back up to the house to get ready. All the girls decided to go out. Chelsea helped us figure it all out and did a real intricate updo for my hair. Everyone looked amazing. Peter accompanied us but MJ and Jason opted out. It was a lot of fun and we ended up staying out pretty late. Tomorrow looks like a busy last day.

photos of today (#74, page 4)

In Search of Mr. Darcy what we performed for Write Night

Amelia – Janie aka Jane & Barbara

Me – Beth aka Elizabeth

MJ – Will aka Darcy, Butterworth & Computer

Catherine – narrator

Peter – Chuck aka Mr. Bingley, Dr. Fallon & Security Guard

Chelsea – Su & Jonathan

Laura – Claire, Lindsay, & ASE student

Jason – George aka Wickham

July 7: Relaxing at the spa

Yesterday evening ending with a most of the house honesty room chat in Laura and my room. It was good since we were planning on just heading to bed because we didn’t really know what to do with ourselves. We ended up staying up til around 2am. I was so tired I just decided to pass out on my bed and get a shower in the morning.

Yesterday evening was celebration because papers were done. As a result when we arrived in Jane Austen class and he asked if we had done the reading we all started at him blankly. Then upon realizing we had readings we searched for our packets filled with the reading only for him to tell us it was online. With no possible way for us to pretend we’d read it we shook our heads. The class was mostly spent watching the adaptation for Persuasion. The actress who plays Anne was soooooo depressing. On a side note she was also the actress in the Jane Austen video at the centre that we watched yesterday. Aunt Petunia was also in it.

Between classes I got a nice salmon sandwich again :] wonderful and Laura, MJ, and I had a nice chat in the basement of Nelson house. Film class was boring as per usual. We finished watching The Last of England, an avant-garde film. He also said we could get out of class earlier, but that did not really happen.

After finishing class Laura, Chelsea, and I ventured off to the Bath Spas. We got the cheapest package which only included the pools and the steam room. It cost £3 to simply get a towel. We started out in the steam rooms. We inadvertently ended up in the lavender smelling room, which we went back to later. We tried the other rooms later, but the scents were not nearly as good and the one room that was good in scent was not nearly as warm.

After the steam room we went up to the terrace pool on the top floor. No pictures are allowed up there unfortunately, but it is a beautiful view and the waterfall is very nice for a back massage type feeling. We then ventured to the Minerva pool. We concluded back at the steam rooms and then got a shower and headed out. We went to a Thai place for dinner and took it back to the house to eat while watching the football match of Spain vs. Germany. We were rooting for Germany, but Spain won. Now we are rooting for the Netherlands.

I haven’t actually gone upstairs this evening Laura did and brought my computer down. We’ve been practicing a story “In Search of Mr. Darcy.” Catherine wrote it as a parody of Pride and Prejudice with ASE staff. I was assigned the part of Beth (aka Elizabeth). We were practicing and hopefully my secret acting talents will emerge tomorrow.

Other than that we’ve chatted a little and are now watching Pride and Prejudice to prepare for our performance tomorrow in which all of the house is participating. We won’t be filming it, but hopefully someone will take pictures. Wish us luck!

p.s. it took me forever to figure out what was in fact causing me to still smell like the spa but the lavender scent is very present in my hair despite the shower ;)

photos (page 3 #52)

July 6: With papers done now it is starting to feel like the end...

First things first HAPPY 21^st BIRTHDAY DEB! I hope you have a great day! Today I turned in my last paper and I am officially on the home stretch.

For Jane Austen we went to the Jane Austen Centre. It wasn’t actually that exciting, but it beats sitting in class discussing and we had to go since we were here. After class I went and printed out my film paper and did a little bit of shopping. I also tried a new sandwich with salmon, SO GOOD! I am definitely getting it tomorrow too. Film class had us watching another avant-garde film that I found boring. Why can’t we watch something happy and entertaining? After class I decided to go to an atm. I was going to try and make it, but with the bus and gift and lunch I just can’t make it. Of course I then found a 20 in a pair of my pants later.

Laura finished writing her paper that is due tomorrow so we had a little movie night. Now it is just a little after 10 and I am not sure what I am going to do with the rest of my evening. I may get a shower and head to bed because yesterday was a long night, but I am actually not that tired.

It is hard to believe that my time here is coming to an end. Nothing too exciting planned for the rest of the week: some shopping, relaxing at the spa, going out to a pub, and the final tea. Packing must start taking place soon too. I will be seeing you all before too long.

photos (today starts on page 2, second row, #29)

July 5: Having fun is more important than writing papers right?

Today I woke up later than I intended, got a shower and headed off to class. Nothing too eventful in Jane Austen. I edited my paper one more time during my lunch break before submitting it and then it was off to film class where we watched an unexpected film; now don’t get too excited as it was an avant-garde film and I fell asleep a few times while watching. It was very weird. After class I spent most of the evening writing my film paper before a bunch of us from the house decided to go out. We weren’t out too long and it was a lot of fun. We are planning to go out later this week and it may just have to happen tomorrow in celebration of completing the papers. I have just reedited my paper again and worry that it is not very good, but I just want to be done. I think I am going to call it quits and just submit what I have. It is a grand 2,209 words with the lower limit of the paper being 2,000 and the upper being 2,500. Hopefully it is alright as his instructions are very, very vague for this assignment and it is unclear what he really wants. Tomorrow during lunch I also have to pick out all the pictures I am going to give to Jonathan for his slideshow at the final tea, but I think it is time for bed now.

pictures from today (page 1 #15)

July 3-4, 2010: Celebrating the 4th in England seems ironic

So I realize I got a little behind in my blog, but a paper was due. As I have now submitted it I thought this 15 minute gap between my classes would be a good time to catch you up on the weekend happenings.

We went to London bright and early on Saturday, making this my third Saturday in a row in London. Still we did not manage to do everything, but just more of a reason to come back to England ;] We began the day a little later then planned and going straight to the changing of the guard instead of doing Westminster Abbey first. The changing of the guard was long and we got rather annoyed. We stood on the monument and they had ropes all in front of the gates, but they still let people walk in front of the gates between the guards entering them. We thought that was rather pointless as there was no where for them to go. We distinctly saw several of the same individuals continually changing sides just to take photos. After the long process that the changing of the guard takes we ventured back to Westminster Abbey. The Abbey was cool and we got to see a lot of tombs, but no pictures allowed in there. We split from Amelia at this point and Laura and I continued on to The Tower.

Now you could easily spend an entire day at The Tower, but we only had a couple hours. We got to see the beefeaters and visit some of the different towers where famous individuals were housed such as Walter Raleigh, the princes, and Anne Boleyn. You even got to vote on who you think orchestrated the presumed murders of the princes, y opinion being their Uncle who then ascended the throne. Other areas included the new armory exhibit as well as the torture exhibit. Not an entirely happy place.

Laura, being the avid tennis player, and I on simply the idea that we were in London ventured to Wimbledon. We did not realize how very far away it is being one of the last stops. It was then quite a hike to actual Wimbledon where we could only see the outside. We took a few pictures and then hiked back to the station. We did get to see the scoreboards and some cheers. The plan was to go on the eye but the long line and the uncertainty of the timing made us avoid it in favor of not running to the train station and avoiding being stranded in London overnight.

photos from London

Sunday was an early morning, but not quite as early as we went to the Abbey for a church service. It was a small gathering and seemed very like a Catholic service to me, which I wasn’t entirely expecting. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, no fireworks or anything signifying the 4^th of July. Instead I worked on my Jane Austen paper for the majority of the day.

photos from Sunday

July 2: Today I went to Hogwarts

Today was the Oxford adventure. We left at 8am and upon arriving got a short tour by Jonathan. Then we were left to our own devices and we chose to go to Christ Church College, a main point for Harry Potter productions. We went to the great hall, which actually wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be. The staircase was so much better! It was my favorite part. The library was sadly not open to us, but we did get to go to a room that was the basis for the Hospital Wing and the Gryffindor dancing lessons. We also tried to find specific Oxford sweatshirts, but failed. Furthermore I split off and then was a few minutes late getting back because I got lost. But the rational is to ask a cute old couple where the main library is, no well the big round building is and they will direct you. They then took us to go punting, which was quite an endeavor. It is not our forte. Some groups got Jonathan or were just naturally gifted, but that was not how I would describe us. We did not get very far, but we did all try our hands at it. I ended up directing us the whole way back.

So in conclusion of the day we visited Hogwarts and discovered that punting is not as easy as it looks (and make sure you wear appropriate clothing, clothing you can get wet if you are inexperienced). Tomorrow we head back to London bright an early for a 7:13 train. We plan to see Westminster Abbey, then the changing of the guard, followed by the Tower a possible trip to Wimbledon to just take a photo (as there is no way we can get seats because it is finals for the women) and conclude with the London Eye. Hopefully we won’t be out too too late because we have papers due Monday and we want to have fun on the 4^th of July. We need to get to bed so we can wake up in the morning for our trip though we did catch a few fireworks. Not only are we in the wrong country but it is a few days early :P Enjoy your weekend everyone!

photos

July 1: I want the real Obi-Wan Kenobi

In Jane Austen class we learned all about the navy and I zoned out through most of it. Film included a very depressing movie and an incredibly difficult quiz. He said they would get harder, as if that was normal, but since the quizzes are supposed to help our grade I don’t know why as they are certainly bringing down my grade and not helping. I mean he asked what one point someone made in class was. He just expects us to be a sponge and absorb absolutely everything. Anyway, what you need to remember about this movie is it has Obi-Wan Kenobi (the original) in it and he is fat and mean, which he just can't be. I want the real Obi-Wan, the guiding, nice Obi-Wan.

After class, Laura, Catherine and I ventured to the old Roman Baths. We tried to convince Amelia but she was too dedicated to her papers. The baths were alright, cool to see, but some places were really creepy and dark. After the baths we came back to the house where there were no boys! They went to Scotland for the day and are missing Oxford tomorrow. Speaking of that I should probably start getting ready for bed, I still need to get a shower and as is the case with most of the trips I have to get up earlier than I do for class. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

photos (page 5, third from the end or #98)

June 30: Just as one thing works out another breaks down

Today was going so well too. Classes brought nothing of interest, but after class was the skyline walk. Now this was to be a strenuous walk including many steep hills and over 2 miles. We started on this voyage and not too far into it my stomach decided it was not going to be happy. So for the over 2 hours that this hike took I felt like I was going to throw up. The hike itself was not that bad; I was expecting much worse if only my stomach had decided it would cooperate. We walked back to the apartment later than usual and had pasta for dinner.

Interrupting the work of the evening was a declaration of trash day as we all burst into song and made an assembly line of our trash and recycling. We forgot to take it out last week so we were on a mission not to forget this week. And why not make a game out of it? It was quite amusing. "IT'S GARBAGE DAY!"

On a positive note the baggage issue seems to be resolved, but now my camera is not cooperating. It takes photos, but after a little while says there is an error and must shut down. It only has a little over a week to last and then my handy warranty will be used as I take it into Best Buy and they fix it up. You can do it little camera!

photos (page 3, third to last picture or #58)

June 29: We may be starting a bad habit

So Laura and I may be starting a bad habit of going to this little gelato shop after classes. It has been a hard start to the week so we felt it necessary.

In our Jane Austen class we had presentations. Hopefully ours went ok, but as he hasn’t given us grades on our last presentation so there is nothing to gauge it on. Between classes I went to Retro for lunch where we had already put my bacon on for my sandwich :]. Amelia did a great presentation on a British tv show, she’s so knowledgeable. The film we watched afterwards was pretty boring and lacked a plot, but did have the father from Pirates of the Caribbean. As I mentioned Laura and I went to the gelato place and we had thought to go shopping, but we forgot to bring extra money so we have decided to do it during lunch break tomorrow.

Chelsea and Catherine made a nice pork, potato, salad, and tomato dinner complete with chocolate cake, icecream, raspberries, and strawberries for dessert. Amelia, Laura, and I then had a brief discussion about places to see while in Oxford on Friday including some Harry Potter places :] I’m pretty excited.

Otherwise nothing much of interest has happened today. Hope all is well in the States and you guys are doing fun things!

photos (today starts on page 2 at the bottom #36)