Birthday Presents!!!

So as you know from the title...

Today is Johnny Gately's birthday! I sent him a package two and a half weeks ago? I don't remember the actual date that I sent it, but he got it on the tenth. I'm sad that today is his twentieth birthday and I don't get to be there to celebrate with him. SO I thought I would open this post by talking about his gift!

He and I finally got to skype with the video on. It was great to see him - he's still as cute as ever if not more so. ;) Anyways, he had his box-gift (which was a huge, but surprisingly light box.) He waited patiently all day for us to skype so we could open it. AND...drum roll please...what did he get when he opened it? He got a Led Zeppelin II album and a Stones compilation album. :)

Haha. His facial expression was great - I think I generally surprised him. It was worth the hassle at the post office and the postage and the customs claiming form. It was a mess, but I'm glad that I could send Johnny a little piece of England that I know he'll enjoy. Two of the best British Bands ever - just saying. :) Happy Birthday Johnny Gately!

Ok. Let me get on to telling you what happened today - Wednesday is my busy day! I have art and architecture in the morning and then shakespeare all afternoon. No matter how you look at it, two three hour back to back lessons (with a short interval in between for lunch) is kinda intense.

Today in Art and Architecture we to the Soane Museum and the Sir Richard Wallace Private Collection. Each of the buildings are museums with different private collections. I got to look at some art by Rembrandt today, no big deal. But more importantly than the art by the famous people, in my opinion, was the Soane Museum. The building is just a little eccentric looking from the outside and it's on a residential street.

It;s an architecture wonder. Barnaby described it as "picturesque" which apparently is supposed to awaken elements in your imagination. Well...it was amazing. I think it's something Mom and Dad and I will have to go see it together. It's got so many secret passage ways and surprises in the way of architectural design. Sir Soane was an architect himself and apparently "an eccentric man." I. LOVED. THAT. BUILDING. I don't think we got to spend enough time there.

The Wallace Collection was nice - there were so many paintings and Rembrandt along with Velasquez and the other big dudes were in there. I was duly impressed, but I was also duly tired because we walked for three straight hours again.

After that I came back to the flat after I topped up my oyster card and made a sandwich. I am thinking about buying some portobello mushrooms and grilling those and having those on a sandwich...If I'm going to eat sandwiches all the time I might as well eat fun ones. :)

Anywho - after that it was time for Shakespeare already. SO...I made some tea put it in my mug and went on my way. It was in the seventies today and I was prepared because I finally realized that I can get up in the morning and check the weather so that I'll be armed and know what the temperature is going to be. It was beautifully sunny all day too, so it was kind of hard to focus in Shakespeare.

However - this is about to be really nerdy - I really like Shakespeare. I really appreciate his verse and talent and even his cursed iambic pentameter. We were given our choices for our commentaries that are due in two weeks. Jean wants us to use the pronoun "I" in our papers...I'm excited about that...Most English majors would probably be appalled but I'm a secret creative writer on the side of my English major-ness. ;)

Anyway - I participated in class and I have that feeling that I had in my stomach like I did senior year of High School when we annotated Othello. I just get excited - which is uber nerdy - but hey. Sometimes you just can't help it.

After that Kemper and I were going to go back to Green Park - but I didn't have enough £ on my oyster card. We get our stipend tomorrow, so I asked if we could go to the graveyard park that we sometimes go to. There's this beautiful lab that we think people are training in this park. We see the doggy every time and it makes me miss Simba. Silly old cat that I'm allergic to!

Well, we were reading for a good time when who walks by but Jean! She said, "Well hello. Why exactly are you guys reading in this graveyard?" Both Kemper and I laughed. I answered, "Well I'm from the South in the States and this is one of the parks that is a bit more quiet and in a residential area. Also, there's this dog that we're trying to befriend..." She just smiled at us and laughed a bit and then walked off. She must think we're crazy. No worries - we probably are.

It got really cold, however, so we went to the student union cafe area. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to use their hot chocolate machine. Hmmm...and they close down at like...seven pm! I miss the Burrow - you could be in there at least until two or something. You gotta love the small campus!

Anyways, so we went back and I made dinner. Eggs and sandwich and an apple. (I do try to balance my constant diet of chocolate. Ugh. My comfort food!) I forgot to go check to see if I had my package GRAMNER! I'll go tomorrow - even though I probably already have it today. Wednesdays just get so busy!

I forgot to tell you guys that I have an art and architecture project that I also need to do. We present a painting from a certain time period that's located at the Tate Modern next Wednesday. It's a ten minute presentation and I'm kind of excited. It can be fun learning about things like that - I just need to be sure to pick an eccentric artist...Or at least an interesting one!

Then I got to talk to Johnny on skype and kind of celebrate his 20th birthday in the best way that we can, you know? Even though I'm a full ocean away, I have to try my best to make birthdays important. I am my mother's daughter. :)

I miss you guys!!!

Here are a few - ahhh - very few pictures. I'll take more when I do something fun and interesting. Cheers!