the o2, the theatre, the british library, the walk

first, i realized that i hadn't yet posted about the eric clapton concert at the o2. i don't even think i have too much to write here, but suffice it to say that it was one of the best concerts of my life, and one of the weirdest concert experiences of my life. the o2 was trippy-looking at night time, and new/clean/pretty inside the arena. we had GREAT seats (thank you gabe), and clapton was ideal. i take back everything i've ever said that may have included his being overrated and mediocre. silly silly me. now, to the weird part: the audience. i know that i may have had a particularly intense reaction--i really found it hard to grasp just how talented someone could be up on that stage--but the people around me (most were british, though we did come across a few groups from outside the area) seemed to be enjoying the show, but not really manifesting it. they sat, eyes wide, mouths open, in utter amazement of clapton (and beck), but they didn't stand, or scream, or cry, or laugh, or anything. i guess it's a testament to the british way to stay calm on the outside even if you're doing somersaults on the inside.

i got "out of zone 1"--a phrase whose importance NYU reinforces to us whenever they get the chance--the other day to see the importance of being earnest. my "english novel in the 19th century" class ventured together up to highgate -- about a 30 minute ride on the tube -- to see the production of it, which was quite witty and entertaining. the production was at a quaint local pub with an intimate theatre upstairs, so we were practically on the stage. overall, i loved the production.

on friday, i took yet another trip with my english novel course to the british library. this time, we went to check out some of the exhibitions they have right now: "points of view," which detailed the history of photography from the early 19th century onward, "treasures of the british library," a permanent exhibit that contains a wealth of VERY cool manuscripts (the manuscript of virginia woolf's mrs. dalloway, one of my favorite novels, and manuscript of charlotte bronte's jane eyre, opened to the page in which jane tells us "reader, i married him"), and an exhibit that holds some of shakespeare's folios. the library is just down the block from my dorm, and they do permit public studying on the first couple of floors even if you don't have a membership, so hopefully i'll find time to do some reading there.

as london was nice enough to share some sunlight on friday, i spent the rest of the day taking a seemingly never-ending walk around the city. i walked south to the somerset house, where there was a lot of stuff going on for fashion week, and where i consequently felt less than appropriate walking through in my hanes teeshirt and nearly destroyed vans, and then headed to the east side of the victoria embankment. i walked along the river thames on the embankment all the way west, passing the london eye and the aquarium until i reached big ben. after taking some pictures of big ben, i strolled past westminster abbey and the parliament buildings, deciding thereafter to venture north and east back home. it was a long but very easy walk back, and i was just about ready to pass out by the time i reached home.

i'm going to prague this friday to visit SARAH! which i'm so excited about, so hopefully i'll convince myself to take it easy and relax this week. i miss everyone at home!!!!