Not Actually My Fault This Time
Okay, so lately you may be noticing a lack of communication from me here in London town. Yeah, things are busy as usual, but I am actually experiencing plenty of technical difficulties.
First of all, Regent's installed/upgraded their firewall/network protection system, and alot of programs on all of the students computers have been blocked/disabled. The first main thing to go was Skype, which actually caused an uproar. Don't worry, I sent in a very polite e-mail voicing the concern of all the study abroad students who use it, and they had some sort of Student Union appeal meeting today regarding some of the problems these recent changes.
However, today Abby and I went upstairs after classes only to find out that our computers (which were working fine in the morning) would not start properly. Abby's starts to pretend like its loading and then freezes and shuts down, and mine gives me a message saying that a particular file has been corrupted or deleted and needs to be installed, so Windows wont run without it.
Great.
If this is due to some stupid virus or something that is spreading around the campus network while they're making all these vital important security updates, that's pretty ironic.
And while I want to laugh in their faces about it, I also now have no computer access in my room. So sadly, I won't be on msn as frequently, but I'll still try to check e-mail, facebook, and myspace everyday at the IT Lab.
Return to the riggers of routine
Well....trying to, that is.
As you might guess from my lack of postage (the blogging kind, not the mailing, although that is partially true as well) Spring Break passed pretty quickly. The rest of the week was still crazy busy, and crazy fun, and Thursday Abby and Nick got back from Prague, so we went out with them and Friday we hit up all the touristy chains in London. Okay, so maybe all is impossible, but we hit every single one we saw. We also got some cool shopping done in Camden Market, so it was quite a successful day. Then Becca and Erin got back Saturday as well as Michelle, so we all had a mini-reunion (without Noel) and tried to go out, but ended up just coming back home, because we're too cheap, and everyone spent way to much money over break anyways. Saturday during the day, Kelly, Lauren, Reid, and I went to Portobello Market and got some steals on gifts for the fams and reduced rate bread/sandwiches. It was a nice easy paced day to end the week.
For some reason getting your grades back in London is much less stressful than back at home. Maybe it's cause I know my classes here are easier, or I still feel like it's more of a vacation than a 'semester', but either way, Monday morning rolled around and I wasn't anxious at all. To those who may be interested (particularly the parents) the grades are good. All A's and one B+.
Today is already Wednesday and it feels like this week is going by extremely fast. Abby's sister Alisha is here, so we've been showing her around and it's been awesome so far. I think everyone has kinda adopted her into the group so it'll be sad when she goes home. Oh, but the memories will last forever.... ;) Hey, it ain't easy being cheesy.
It's not easy being smelly either. Which is precisely why I need to go shower. We went dancing last night, since we didn't get to take Alisha and Nick out Saturday, and working up a sweat and then coming home and crashing on your bed in the same clothes, isn't so productive to that fresh morning feel you normally wake up to. At least I had comfortable pants on. Alisha and Abby both slept in their jeans...and Alisha, on the floor. Haha. Don't worry, she has a mattress for the week. And as soon as Abby got out of her bed to shower and go to class, she stole it.
Once again, speaking of showers. Off I go.
Right, Then.
It's hard to find a bit of spare time to get all the pictures uploaded and come type a little ditty encompassing the day's (or past two) adventures, because this week is going by tremendously fast. But I want to make sure that I get stuff out as soon as possible before I forget all about it.
So, the photobucket has been updated with pictures of the Walking Tour, St. Paul's, Platform 9 and 3/4, as well as pictures from today's adventures:
Click Here For PicturesThis morning we went to Buckinham Palace and got to see the changing of the guards. It was actually quite a little ceremony. They had a group of soldiers come marching in, and then a band came down the street playing and marched into the palace gates, and interestingly enough (or freakishly enough) the music they played during the actual changing of the guards, was none other than...wait for it...wait for it....WEST SIDE STORY!!
Hahaha, this was the best thing ever! Especially since, had Maggie been here it would have been complete (Maggie, Reid, and I got to see West Side Story on our last fun filled free stuff adventure when they came to see me in St. Louis this past summer). It was awesome. At first I thought I was going crazy, thinking I heard the music for "Tonight, Tonight" but then I definitely heard the song about the Jets, so I told Reid, but I'm not sure he believed me untill he recognized the beat to "America" which is the exact song that was playing when the guards officially switched. I mean, obviosly the title is a little odd, but seriously, when you think about the song it only make it more awkward:
I like to be in America!
O.K. by me in America!
Ev'rything free in America
For a small fee in America!
Even crazier (depending on your scale, I seriously loved the West Side Story--Story) was that apparently it IS a small world after all. When I picked Reid up from the airport he was telling me about this girl he sat next to who was also going abroad to visit a friend, and we actually ran into her at Buckingham palace. How insane is that? It was pretty cool actually, and made for an interesting opener for the remainder of the night's surprises (hang on, I had a freak coinkidink myself).
After the palace we saw a few cool places like the American Embassy and then took the Beatles Walking Tour through SOHO, and then swung by Leiscester Square and caught a bit of the red carpet action for the premiere of Basic Instinct 2 (we left before Sharon Stone showed up though).
Then we caught a free comdey show in the upstairs of the Red Lion (a what seems like a Chinese Restaurant--especially in Soho--but is infact a regular english pub, with football, aka soccer, on tv inside).
Click Here For Pictures
I GOT TO FEED THE BIRDS!!!
Okay, so Tuesday Reid and I did a walking tour of London and got to see Shakespeares Globe, and walk over Blackfriars Bridge and see a bunch of stuff on the Southbank which was pretty cool. The guide had lots of good information and fun little stories, so I'd rate it a good walking tour. We also had some non-apple pie apple pie in a pub we stopped in to warm up a bit. Even though it wasn't apple pie it was pretty good.
Then yesterday we went and got our tickets for the Big Bus tour, and rode on top of the double decker for a bit, and got off at the National Gallery stop. This is where we ended up spending most of the day, haha. Of course we got to go inside and visit with Leonardo DaVinci, VanGogh, Monet, and Rembrandt, but first outside in Trafalgar Square there were a ton of pigeons walking around, and so we were kinda meandering over to them, and this guy comes and puts a peanut in Reid's hand and they're all over him, it was crazy, but also really fun and hilarious.
So then he gave me some bird seed, and we see this lady come up, and just walk right into the middle of all the birds and sit down, and they all instantly flocked to her. THAT'S RIGHT! THERE IS A REAL BIRD LADY!! It was sooo cool. Apparently she comes every day, and the birds seem to recognize her, even before she gets out the food. There were also these two little boys that were running around kicking the birds, which was mean, especially since I had just befriended the fair pigeons (they're not so dirty up close, really) and I took some video of that, haha.
Then we went to visit St. Paul's cathedral, which was amazingly gorgeous, and went to visit the Tate Modern Gallery, although we got there after it was already closing all the exhibits, so we just took more pictures of St. Pauls over the Millenium Bridge, and then on the way home, we stopped at King's Cross which is where they film the train station for Harry Potter, and went and found Platform 9 and 3/4 (which doesn't exist, except for in the book) and there's a little trolly cart stuck halfway in the wall, as if someone were passing through, so that's pretty cool. Of course, Reid and I are dorks and had to take pictures of that.
To end the day we came back to Regent's and watched Grey's Anatomy with Mita the crazy RA, who loves Reid and wants to give him her lotion for his sunburnt face, haha. All in all it was a pretty good day.
Pictures To Come!
Spring Break!
So Reid flew in today, and I had to wake up at 5:00am to go meet him at the airport. He didn't sleep for more than 2 hours on the plane so to try and keep him up today (he got in at 8am our time, which was 2am at home) till this evening to cut the jet lag shorter, we went downtown to the St. Patricks Day Parade, only we missed most of it and just caught the end, so then we wandered around Trafalger and Leicester Square where they had some stage set up with Iris music and dancing and the like going on. We did catch them turning on the tinted green fountains and the ballon relase though, and then we decided to catch Evensong at Westminster Abbey (where Reid started to fall asleep, shhh!).
Funny part of that story is that we were looking for the Abbey and come around a corner and see this big gold clock tower and are like, "That's not the Abbey! What is that clock doing there?" Yeah, it was Big Ben. We are freaking idiots, we accidentally stumbled on Big Ben, and were no where near aware of it. Stupid tourists.
Anyways, some fun pics.
As Always, More Here:
Click Me!
YAY! Testing is OVER!
Bring On Spring Break!
Crash Wins Best Picture!
Yay! My lil baby did it!!
This one of my favorite films ever, I didn't think it would win much (just original screenplay) but was pulling for it to be the dark horse. I'm so proud of it! *tear*. I watched it AGAIN last night to give it good vibes/luck. So I take partial credit.
Okay, so obviously I'm talking about the Academy Awards which took place last night. Sadly I didn't get to see them, but Maggie is sending the tape with Reid this weekend. Which reminds me, Wooo! Spring Break is coming! Too bad right now life is all midterms and papers. But it'll get better.
Since I had to wait forever with my predictions, and then this morning find out the winners I thought I'd make a little list in case anyone was interested in seeing what I had predicted/thought. If you weren't just scroll down and skip this part ;)
Okay, so here were my predictions of who would win, who Steph wanted in Italics, and then who actually did in bold.
Best PictureWill Win: Brokeback
Steph's Pick:
CrashDid Win:
CrashDirectorWill Win: Ang Lee (Brokeback)
Steph's Pick:
Ang Lee(Brokeback)Did Win:
Ang LeeActorWill Win: Heath Ledger
Steph's Pick:
Heath LedgerDid Win:
Phillip Seymore HoffmanActressWill Win: Reese Witherspoon
Steph's Pick:
Felicity HuffmanDid Win:
ReeseSupporting ActorWill Win: George Clooney (Syrianna)
Steph's Pick:
Matt Dillon (Crash)Did Win:
George ClooneySupporting ActressWill Win: Rachel Weiz
Steph's Pick:
Rachel WeizDid Win:
Rachel WeizAdapted ScreenplayWill Win: Brokeback
Steph's Pick:
BrokebackDid Win:
BrokebackOriginal ScreenplayWill Win: Crash
Steph's Pick:
CrashDid Win:
CrashAnimated Feature FilmWill Win: Wallace and Gromit
Steph's Pick:
Corpse BrideDid Win:
Wallace and GromitCinematographyWill Win: Brokeback
Steph's Pick:
Memoirs of a GeishaDid Win:
Memoirs of a GeishaOriginal SongWill Win: Travelin' Thru (Transamerica)
Steph's Pick:
In the Deep (Crash)Did Win:
It's hard out there for a pimp (Hustle and Flow)So now of course, there is this big controversy of Brokeback Mountain losing to Crash, when it came into it with the most hype and having won nearly every major award at every other award ceremony this year, in our nation, and internationally, at both big award shows and indie awards so the whole thing is coming out in the news as a giant upset.
Here's all I have to say.
I loved both films, as quality movies all around, but I do have to say that when it comes down to it, I think I would have picked Crash over Brokeback as well. I think one of the setbacks for Brokeback was that it was getting so much press, but I'm also happy for Crash as, before, I didn't feel like it was getting enough recognition (therefore the hardcore pimping of it to all my friends, and all of you on this blog a few weeks ago).
I think that both films rounded out what a 'great' movie should be: great performances by the cast, great writing/directing, great editing, gorgeous music/score, beautiful cinematography, and the fact they do stir up feelings in people and make them walk out of the theater thinking. To me that's one of the greatest effects a movie can have on someone. So they both get props for that.
People can blame the Academy for being homophobic or just choosing a safer more conservative film for the win, but honestly I think Crash reached a much larger audience, and a much more diverse audience in a way (mainly just being completely honest and upfront about it) that films dealing with race haven't been able to for a long time. Yeah, race issues have been tackled in films forever now, and this was the first gay one, but at least Brokeback opened the door for more films to be made around homosexuality without being afraid of public acceptance, and hopefully one of those will have a stronger story behind it and be more deserving of an award next time. As far as this one goes, Crash did a wonderul job and is completely deserving of the honor.
