October 9-17 Oh MY!

Ok so again, going back to last week: We got back from Wood Norton Friday Night. Saturday was more or less a day of catch-up. I have managed to keep up with all my US shows (Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy, and Weeds to name a few…), but we did have to make up a play. “Or You Could Kiss Me” at the National Theatre is about a gay couple dealing with the imminent death of one of the men. It is performed with puppets, and was definitely well done, but for some reason I didn’t really enjoy it.

Monday brought our last class with Archie Tait in Writing for TV; bit hard to believe considering we are only halfway through the semester. For the next 7 weeks we are expected to complete a pilot episode for a TV series of our own creation…I have a lot of work to do!

In Arts and Theatre, we visited Tate Britain and saw an exhibition by Muybridge…who is famous for discovering the movement of horses through a series of fast-shutter images. It was interesting, however a bit repetitive as many of the works were different series of horses running. The Tate, I must say, is not my favorite.

Wednesday night brought us to the Hampstead Theatre for “Enlightenment.” I don’t think I have ever said this with such conviction: It was AWFUL. Many of us, including the Professor, laughed it was so bad. Also, the actors seemed very aware of the failing of the play, which was even more disgraceful.

Inside The Tower of London!!!

However, I was able to cope, for I spend the majority of Wednesday afternoon visiting the Tower of London! Although many of you may think I am silly for saying this, London continues to amaze me with its rich history that still survives. The coolest thing by far was to know that I was walking on the grounds in that Elizabeth I, Lady Jane, and Anne Boleyn, ect walked on more than 6 centuries ago! In many buildings carvings date to the 1500s! Enclosed in the Tower of London is also the Jewel house, where England’s Crown Jewels are kept. What beauty and lavishness! Another interesting thing: Although we think of the Tower of London as the last place people went before they died, only 6 people were killed in the tower and only 112 were killed on Tower Hill a few meters away!

This is where Anne Boleyn lost her head. 

Thursday and Friday were spent at the BBC doing an online course required of everyone that works on programming. It was boring but necessary. It’s hard to believe that we are almost through the training program at the BBC Academy!

Saturday morning marked my visit to the Houses of Parliament. I went with a group from NYU, and we were very lucky to get a tour, for after the Houses are in session they usually only give tours to citizens of the UK! It was very cool. We saw the Queen’s robbing room, the House of the Lords, the House of the Commons and a few more rooms running between these. Very pomp and circumstance. What struck me, however, is how small the Houses are. In fact, the guide said that neither offers enough seating if all the members of the Houses are in attendance!    

Not the best picture...

Visited the National Gallery and the Sherlock Holms Museum on Sunday. National Gallery was great, and full of paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh. Went for class, but had a good time. The Sherlock Holms Museum was a bit of a disaster. I went with an NYU group. More or less, the guy that organized the trip was not on top of his game. He arrived 20 minutes late, then insisted we wait for another 15 minutes for his friend that was even later than he was, and then didn’t even know where the Museum was so we had to ask for directions! Once we finally got there, the museum itself was a bit of a letdown for anyone that isn’t a die-hard fan. I walked through in about 15 minutes. Oh well…

On a completely unrelated note, I have discovered the CBS show, “The Good Wife.” It’s very loosely based on the recent affairs of politicians that have been broadcast by the media while their wives stand faithfully by. Ran through all the episodes in about 3 days.

This week has been busy…beginning to realize that this semester will be over before I know it! Looking forward to sharing my adventures next week.

J

Emily