One month in

I have been in London for a month and that is hard to believe really. It feels like I just got in a few days ago. So let's recap what I have done over the past month because I have been busy with school and figuring out this city.

• British Museum 
• Saw Sweeney Todd
• Explored Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park
• Watched Doctor Who on BBC One for the first time ever 
• Went to Stonehenge and Bath (and will be returning to Bath sometime later this fall for a day trip) while also silently crying over being in the land of my people (Austen fans)
• Field trips to Parliament, the National Portrait Gallery, the Science Museum  the Docklands Museum  and the Imperial War Museum
• Took the DLR to get to the Docklands Museum 
• Walked all of Portobello Road on a Saturday and then went to Baker Street to see the outside of the Sherlock Holmes Museum
• Joined the choir at school (and it felt great singing again)
• Found out my former high school's theatre department was awarded the best program in the Midwest for a magazine (YEAH NORTH!)
• Spent last night out in Covent Gardens and Shoreditch in the freezing rain

That doesn't look like much. But it is in my opinion since I am someone who prefers to stay inside all day and sit on the computer. However, this month has a lot of exciting things going on for me. 

This next week I am going to this Poetry Week thing (properly called Michael Grandage Company presents the Josephine Hart Poetry Week) on Wednesday and Friday. Michael Grandage just recently left being the Artistic Director of The Donmar Warehouse to start his own company and this is one of the first things that they are doing. I'm really exited for Wednesday and Friday due to the actors reading the poetry. 

Wednesday's poetry theme is World War I Poets. The readers are going to be Charles Dance (currently on Game of Thrones), Tom Hollander (Mr. Collins from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice) and Rosamund Pike (Jane Bennet from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice). The host for the night is Richard Eyre. Even though I don't really know that much about World War I poetry, I'm excited to see these actors in person. Okay, I'm excited to see Charles Dance because I want Game of Thrones spoilers. But I am really, really, really excited for Friday.

The poetry theme for Friday is The American Poets. I know American Poetry. The host is Alan Yentob. The readers are the following: Derek Jacobi, Felicity Jones, Elizabeth McGovern, and Eddie Redmayne. I AM SEEING DEREK JACOBI IN PERSON! I get to see one of the most legendary actors ever. Felicity Jones was just recently in the movie Like Crazy but I know her as Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey. Elizabeth McGovern is currently playing Cora, Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey (on a side note: the current series is really good and I am so excited for everyone back in the US to watch it. If PBS is still around because apparently Romney thinks the government puts a lot of money towards PBS when it doesn't. Seriously, how stupid are you? Did you not watch Mr. Rodgers at all?). 

But Eddie. Eddie is my favorite actor in the whole world. And I get to see him in person. Eddie is not really known in the world of acting in the US. He has mostly worked in the West End theatre community. He won an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Tony Award  for Best Featured Actor in a Play his role in Red. He most recently was in the movie My Week with Marilyn (directed by Simon Curtis, Elizabeth McGovern's husband) and the BBC adaptation of the book Birdsong. However, soon the world will know him as Marius in the highly anticipated movie adaptation of Les Miserables. In the most recent behind the scenes look into the movie, there is a three second clip of a scene with Eddie singing. I think I died. Actually I did die. I am just really excited for everyone to fall in love with him like I did four years ago when I watched Tess of the d'Urbervilles. 

I have no idea if there is going to be a stage door for this event at all but I really want there to be. I need to meet Eddie. NEED.

More exciting things:

• my mom and sister are visiting me for a week
• I have my midterm break soon
• I get to meet my friend from online in the end of the month
• my friend from school who is studying in Wales for the year is coming to London the same weekend my other friend is
• I am hopefully going to see Our Boys, the play Arthur Darvill is in
• hopefully seeing Les Mis finally (I am deliberately putting it off)

I have no idea what I am going to be doing for my midterm break. Everyone is going to the mainland but I'm not. I don't really have the money for that at all. But knowing me I will figure out what I want to do. Before I leave, I do want to spend a good portion of my time in Scotland. 

So that's all from me for now.