ALL or nothing

After living here for over two weeks, I have learned more than anything that it is important to take advantage of every opportunity and to be ready for plans to emerge at any moment. Shortly after I woke up on Saturday morning Amanda came into my room asking me if I wanted a ticket to see Othello. Of course, I couldn't refuse. She, and two other girls went to queue for the show at 6:30 a.m. and stood in line for multiple hours. The show featured Ewan McGregor as Iago, Chiwetel Ejifor (Keira Knightly's husband in Love Actually) as Othello and Kelly Reilly (Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice) as Desdemona. Tickets are going for as much as $1,000 on eBay, even though we only paid $15. The show was amazing! The theater was intimate and we had actors running behind us. It was also a nice contrast to when I saw the play at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, WI. There, it was staged outside in the middle of the day. Here, the set was very dark and dynamic music enhanced the performance. Three years ago, I remember falling in love with Iago; his conviction and ruthlessness were mesmerizing. However, on Saturday, Ejifor stole the show. I was also very impressed with Reilly's performance. She was convincing, but strong enough not to let the role stifle her. The role of Desdemona is tough in that it has to be conceivable that Othello is able to believe she is having an affair with Cassio. However, this role can fall flat if it comes off as foolish that she should fall subject to Iago's plot. I was really blown away.

Later that night, a bunch of people in the house went out. There was a party being thrown for a new travel agency. There were multiple rooms constructed for the event. One had sand and palm trees, another was created to look like an Amazon forest and the last one resembled a Japanese lounge. It was incredible! What was even better was that EVERYTHING was free. We had to wait for a while to get in but had an amazing time. Quite the PR event.

On Monday we decided that we needed to be productive and tried to go to the Westminster library. It was closed. Sooo We took the tube to the British Library. It was intense. They asked for multiple forms of ID and I had to fill out a form on the computer. Once that was done, I received a library card with my picture and a briefing of the rules. No pens. No snacks. No backpacks or bags. etc. etc. etc. Also, there is no browsing of the stacks. You request books online and then the people bring them directly to you. Unfortunately, we finished our applications after 4:00 which is the last time you can order books. I do have access to one of the biggest collections of information in the world, though.