the day we met James McAvoy

Yesterday is in my top five best days EVER. No lie. And because of that, I've finally uploaded some photos. Hehe. These photos will better help illustrate my awesome day.

This morning, Ashley and I left the house at around 8:25. We caught the 9:00 train to Paddington, then took the tube to Notting Hill. We wandered around and found this amazing open market, where I bought some really pretty scarves.


There were all sorts of crazy street performers, including this magician named Tom. He escaped these chains from under a duvet cover.


And became Super Tom.


After brunch & coffee, we wandered some more. The houses in the area were vibrantly colored.


This is where I want to live, though. Haha.


After some time, we went to Hyde Park. We couldn't have asked for better weather.


This is a "pond" at the park. Maybe it's just me, but I've always thought ponds were supposed to be significantly smaller than this.


This shot reminded me of that scene in The Notebook, where Noah takes Ally on a canoe & he rows the canoe through the lake with all of the swans.


Queen Victoria statue.


After having a late lunch with Andrea, we headed to an awesome exhibit at The Photographers' Gallery. It showcased four winners of the Deutsch Börse prize, which is, apparently, a big deal.

We also went to this famous toy store called Hamley's that had six floors. It was a bit overwhelming.


The lovely company I was with yesterday. I took these photos at a cocktail bar we went to where the bar manager was a douchebag. Haha.

Shaftesbury Avenue, where the Apollo Theatre is located.


The Apollo Theatre. The stage door, where we waited to get our programs signed and take photos of the actors, is actually on a different street.


The three actors in Three Days of Rain were James McAvoy, Nigel Harman, and Lynsey Marshall. This is Nigel Harman. He's on a show called EastEnders here.


JAMES MCAVOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

James McAvoy was so nice. He seemed embarrassed by all of the squealing fangirls/fanwomen. Haha. He stayed until everyone's programs were signed and was so polite and kind of shy. He chatted with all of us while signing our programs and tried not to get blinded by all of the photos that people were taking of him. When we saw him on the street by the stage door after they performed the matinee show, I literally fell on Ashley. Haha. And I lost the ability to speak coherently.

Three Days of Rain was fantastic. In the first act, James McAvoy played a brash, tortured guy named Walker. Lynsey Marshall played his practical sister Nan. Nigel Harman played their upbeat, soap actor friend Pip whose dad was their dad's partner. Walker and Nan's famous architect dad died a year before, but Walker disappeared right before the funeral. James McAvoy played Walker in such a way that even if he was unstable and obviously crazy, you still pitied him a little bit. Lynsey Marshall played Nan with deliberate restraint and one could tell how burdened she felt by being an older sister to such a pained & crazy brother. Nigel Harman's Pip was hilarious. The exchanges between him and James McAvoy were especially funny. Nigel Harman's New York accent was pretty convincing, too. (I also wondered how he could talk so fast for so long without taking a breath.) One of my favorite Pip lines was, "Just because I'm in a good mood doesn't make me a moron." Hahaha.

The first act is spent speculating about Walker and Nan's dad, as he was silent for their childhood. Pip didn't know his dad, either, as his dad died when he was three. Walker had found his dad's journal and became obsessed with trying to read beyond the brief entries. After the reading of the will, where Pip was bequeathed their fathers' masterpiece house, Walker decided that his dad wasn't the actual genius behind it, but Pip's dad was. He came to terms with who he thought his dad was.

In the second act, the actors play the characters' parents over thirty years before the first act takes place. James McAvoy plays Walker's dad Ned, while Lynsey Marshall plays Walker & Nan's mom Lina. Nigel Harman plays his dad Theo. The audience discovers that perhaps the reason Ned didn't talk to his children was the fact he had a really bad stutter. And their mom Lina was a bit of an alcoholic & the antithesis of a Southern belle, in spite of growing up in Savannah and her accent. And that Theo and Lina were originally together, but Theo was image-conscious, self-centered, and cracked under pressure because he was supposed to be the architectural genius. It turned out that Ned was the one who designed the house that made them famous. It's sad that his children never knew.

The play is dialogue and character-driven, which is my favorite kind. All of the performances were excellent. The first act was somewhat darker and the rhythm was a lot faster, as it's constant confrontation between Walker, Nan, and Pip. The second act was paced slower. It was really interesting to see James McAvoy go from playing a loud, raving lunatic to an endearing, stuttering introvert. Lynsey Marshall's transition from a somewhat uptight A-type person to her loopy Southern mom was great. I liked Nigel Harman's Pip more than I liked Theo. But not because his performance was lacking as Theo; Theo was a douche. Pip was bouncy and talked too fast and wanted everyone to like him, but he wasn't self-centered like Theo was. The only part I was completely confused by was the last line. I want to buy the play so that I can read it and see the bits of dialogue that I missed when, for example, Walker and Pip were yelling over each other.

Seriously, though. Yesterday was such an amazing day. Yay!!!!

I will walk 500 miles and I will walk 500 more

Yesterday, the roommates & I ventured into town for last minute things like hangers and to exchange money. We also had lunch at Ask, this chain Italian restaurant that had delicious food. We went to the co-op grocery store a couple times, too. I made a quick stirfry for dinner, then we went out.

Last night was hilarious and epic as all of us predicted. Most of the house went out to the Purple Turtle. It was in this dodgy alley and we had to climb down some steep stairs to get in. They didn't have cosmos or appletinis or any of the bitch drinks we normally order back in Athens. Prior to going out, though, the roommates & I killed a bottle of wine and whiskey sours, respectively.

Somehow, the night started off like this: (Kate, Kelli, me, & Trish, the roommates)


And quickly became this:


Dancing with these guys and their friends occurred.




Yay for Americans geting their dance on in Oxford!

The DJ at the Purple Turtle played a lot of older American hip-hop. By the end of the night, though, he played a Grease medley, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go," and a bunch of other 80's songs. We had good times.

Today, all of us ended up sleeping in 'til like 2 and just chilled until the SPIA kids pizza party thing. Trish, Drew, and I went to a pub called Gardeners' Arms. This really sweet old British couple owns it and they're awesome.

Class starts tomorrow at 10:30. We're going to hit up Starbucks before class so we can actually be alert. Apparently, we have some walking tour of Oxford and are going to officially become Oxford students at the Bodleian library, too. I'd probably be more enthused if I hadn't taken a couple Benadryl to help me sleep, haha.

Hope everything is well across the pond!

Postcards will be sent as soon as I buy some good ones & some stamps. Haha.

I'm lost in a supermarket

The following are things I've seen so far & have liked about England.

London:

The helpful hints to tourists. Like which way to look before crossing the street.


The fact that ketchup comes in sauce containers rather than packets. This one came from McDonald's.


The mail drop boxes are so much more lively than in the States.


The fact that the Brits pay attention to detail. Particularly, in statues and monuments.
Exhibit A: At Kensington Park.

Exhibit B: A wall at Kensington Park.


Exhibit C: The prettiest fountain I've seen. Also at Kensington Park.


Exhibit D: The Marble Arch.


This random tree I saw while walking from Oxford Circus. (Which is in London, not Oxford. Weird.)


Oxford: (side note--I took a billion photos today. Everything's so pretty here.)

The house where we're staying.


Chandeliers. (This is in the entrance to the house.)


The fact that everything's covered in ivy and moss.


The cobblestone streets.


The weird road symbols. Like squiggly lines on the road.


The short traffic lights.


This, which is at the center of town.


Awkward signs.
Exhibit A: taken outside of a construction site.


Exhibit B: taken as we walked to town.


The Brits' perception of what our vintage clothing is.


Doors made for people my height.


Paninis. Kelli & I went to Cafe Roma and got delicious chicken pesto paninis.


The fact that Walkers ripped off the Lays logo. Kelli had Walkers crisps with her panini.


The fact that the streets look like this.


The following are things I don't like about England so far:
In addition to how cold it is (which is just like winter in New York, really), it gets this dark at 3:00 PM.


And the McNuggets taste different (less breading and the inside is crunchier). And they don't have 10 packs. Both of which are probably a good thing, as I'm trying to avoid eating British food as long as possible and shouldn't be eating McDonald's anyway.