Taming of the Shrew (and dinosaurs!)

Since Sunday, our water boiler has not been working. This morning I woke up freezing. When getting ready, every decision I made was based on what the warmer option would be. For example, I skipped a shower (no hot water), made hot toast instead of cold cereal, drank hot tea instead of orange juice, and took an extra jacket to class. Tomorrow, someone from the gas company is supposed to come and fix our boiler and heat. Hopefully.

The Globe Theatre

From my seat inside the Globe/Stage for "Taming of the Shrew"

Last night was amazing! We traveled to London for the day before seeing the night production of "Taming of the Shrew" at the Globe. After taking the train, and then the tube, we crossed the Millennium Bridge, passed the Globe, and toured Southwark Cathedral. Then we were led on a "Dickens Tour," in which the tour guide took us to several of the sights that Dickens might have seen. I guess the point was to let us "walk the same cobble stones that Dickens might have walked," but it was difficult for me to appreciate (probably because I have never been able to finish any of the Dickens novels...dude is too long winded.)

If there was anything to make up for the (pointless) walk we did for two hours, it would have been seeing "Taming of the Shrew!" Despite my past visits to London, this was my first time to see the Globe Theatre. My first thought was, "Now I know why Ms. Cobb (my senior English teacher) loved to talk on and on about it." I was trying not to "nerd-out" too much as we walked inside and presented our tickets. I spent a pound on a seat cushion and we then took our seats (above the "groundlings"). Every time I would try and put myself in the place of an Elizabethan at the Globe, a plane would fly overhead bringing me back to reality. But this is why I loved it so much: a place with such history attached to it was now a very live part of my own present world.

The play ended around 11pm. so we high tailed it out of the theatre in order to make it back to the train station in time. I had to halfway jog to keep up with Penelope as she hauled "arse" through the underground to Paddington Station. I couldn't believe she and Francis had so much endurance. Once I got on the train back to Oxford the exhaustion hit me. When we finally got back to Oxford at 1am. I was doubtful my legs would make it back to the flat. Somehow they did and and I even mustered some strength to brush my teeth before falling sound asleep in my bed.

Today Francis gave our first lecture and began by saying, "I understand you had a late night and I encourage you to close your eyes as I lecture. Sometimes this helps with absorbing information." I'm not sure if that was code for, "It's aight if you sleep," but I'll say once it was "Tea Time," I went straight for the coffee!

Inside the Museum of Natural History

Later Francis led us on a "Pre-Raphaelite" tour around Oxford. We walked through Keble College, the Rhodes House, Exeter College, and my favorite, the Museum of Natural History. Of course I was impressed with seeing stained glass in the chapels, and some of the Pre-Raphaelite architectural designs, but when Francis opened the door to the Natural History Museum, I became overwhelmed with excitement from seeing dinosaur skeletons looking at me. The five-year old me that dreamed of being a paleontologist came out and Francis had a hard time redirecting me back to the actual tour. I'll just have to go back on my own. 

Tomorrow we meet with a tutor one on one for the first time and discuss our upcoming paper for the intro course. I think what I look forward to more however, is the ability to take a warm shower once our boiler gets fixed!