A Little Spare Time.....

Hello! Hello!

So, I have been so very busy this past week and a half that on my free day (today) I slept in! Funny, right? You wouldn't think that that would be such a big deal, but I needed it! We have been going from one thing to the next, constantly and my body needed a rest, especially being sick. I tried to go to a clinic the other day and had to leave because it was going to be too exspensive for me to see a doctor and get them to write me a script. So, I have been drinking lots of water and taking vitamins and cough drops...etc. Feeling a little better, day by day.

You know, it's funny the things you find out. We found out in class the other day, from our guest host in London, that actors used to be fined for being late or for losing a script or a costume. Now, you just get a warning or in "trouble." Interesting to see how theatre, as well as any/everything has evolved over the years.

So, we went to the Hampton Court Palace the other day! AWESOME!!!! It was probably my favorite thing that we have done yet! It was the palace where King Henry VIII himself lived! It was so cool to be in a place where someone that important in history lived! The palace was absolutely huge! And the best part was that we were allowed to take pictures and video throughout the entire palace, so my friend Shari and I did our own "tour" of the palace on video! We have us travelling through the rooms, getting creeped out in some rooms because of the energy you could feel. We have us out in the gardens, and me getting chased by a swan- which is actually very funny because just the night before we had seen "Swan Lake" where a person and a swan fall in love. Hopefully I will get that video edited and posted soon after we return home to the States!

The past few shows we have seen were "Swan Lake," "War Horse" and tonight I went on my own and saw "Oliver." All three of which were nothing short of amazing! "Swan Lake" is a ballet, but this version was a modernized and had a twist where both the swan and the prince, who fall in love, were male. It added an interesting twist! I really enjoyed it- and the dancing was beautiful! "War Horse".....WOW! I have no idea what the show was about going in, but it was so powerful. It was the first show here that I have actually cried at. I have been choked up a few times, but I was sobbing at this show. It was about a young boy who raised a horse, and then was seperated from him when his father sold him to the ARMY. The most amazing part about this production was the fact that the horses used in the show were life-size puppets. Throughout the show, though, I was never really distracted by that fact because their movements were so realistic and precise. Each horse puppet took three people to control it. It was truly amazing! You should google it and check it out. I'm sure there are pictures. Tonight, I saw "Oliver," which happens to be one of the first musicals that I ever watched and appreciated, thanks to my dad! It's funny; when I was little I hated musicals. I thought, "What is the point in singing all the time?" And now, look at where I am- on my way to making this my career- singing, dancing, acting; the whole bit!! And I LOVE it!! Everything about it! Going to a show and seeing what can be created, or watching a good film and seeing the same thing really lights that spark within me to keep going forward and follow my dream to become an actress! Anyway, so when I was younger my dad had a VHS copy of "Oliver" that was all scratched up, and I would sit and watch it, through the bad static and tracking! So, thanks Dad!! What a great musical! It's funny, it's sad, it's serious and it's entertaining. I would love to be in this show!

We have also been to the National Gallery this week, where I saw the originals of some of Van Gough's paintings, as well as da Vinci, and one of my favorites "The Lilly Pond" by Claude Monet. It was truly breathtaking to see these original paintings!

Well it's getting pretty late and I have to be up early tomorrow for our class and our trip to visit Middlesex University.