Classes and Shows! Whew!

     Monday has come again which means more classes, more homework, but also more free time.  This morning we had classes and I managed to survive them today as well.  I've developed a new method of note taking in which I doodle my notes and make them look awesome.  Then I can focus.  I think, I seem to leave class having learned things.  Speaking of focus, this entry is a hard one to write! So many people talking about all the shows they went to tonight and I can't seem to focus on my words.  I also went to a show this evening, but I will reveal which one it was....later! Bwahaha.  It shall be a surprise.

     After our classes a group of us went to the National Gallery so that we could finish another site assignment.  We were given a list of paintings to see and began our search through the massive gallery to find some amazing paintings.  It was so cool, I got to see work from Michelangelo, Raphael, Vermeer, Monet and Van Gogh!  Though I have always appreciated art, I've never really felt really drawn to it before.  However, being able to see artwork from so many talented people was so cool.  Something about seeing the art in person is really different from seeing it in a textbook or on the internet.  My favorites were Van Gogh's work.  They only a had a few of his paintings, the most popular that they had there was The Sunflowers.  It was so cool because you could see the brush strokes and the layers across the canvas.  There was also an unfinished Michelangelo painting that we saw, and though it was unfinished it was so beautiful.  It was interesting because I could almost see how the painting process would have gone. There were some people in the painting that were finished and others whose outlines were only drawn.  Overall the whole Gallery was amazing.  Unfortunately, photos were not allowed.  

     We had a special lecture from the Assistant Director to the Royal Shakespeare company. Though I was a bit bummed to be pulled back into the classroom, it was a very interesting lecture about how the shows are selected and general running of the shows.  Fortunately he was very much a theater person, so it was a very entertaining "lecture."  

     For dinner tonight we had an amazing Mexican dinner and then Sarah and I made our way over to see another show at the West End.   

      And the show that I ended up seeing today was.....

 Phantom!  It was a great performance, and we actually managed to get some decent seats for a cheap price.  There was a pillar in part of my view, but it wasn't anything too bad, especially when I got the tickets for so little money! A few of the actors were the same people from the 25th Anniversary recording! It was so cool! Whew!  I love West End theatre!

Wanted to show off the cool UK cover of The Book Thief.  Love reading this in my free time!

Tomorrow we shall be going to the Harry Potter set tour! SO STOKED!