Because things have been pretty quiet, I’m going to take a brief interlude between papers to present an Ode to London.

When I was here two years ago, the Olympics were going on, which was fantastic because I had the amazing opportunity to go to the see Olympic beach volleyball one of the days.

However, the presence of the Olympics limiting the accessibility of seeing the rest of the city. One of my goals of this trip was to spent more time seeing London, which is very accessible by bus from Oxford. I’ve gone in a few times with various combinations of people, and once with our whole program to see a play.

Here’s a few highlights:

From the Victoria and Albert Museum

Buckingham Palace

The Thames and all its accoutrements

The Prince Henry House

The National Portrait Gallery (and accompanying rooster)

One of my favorite London memories was earlier this month getting to see on of my favorite actors, Richard Armitage at the Old Vic Theatre, where he played John Proctor in the Crucible. I’ve taught this play for several years, and even aside from the incredible thrill of getting to see an actor in person whose work I have admired for years, the entire company put on a spectacular performance.

So that’s all for now, and I’d best pop to work. I have a 20-25 page paper due Monday, and health hasn’t been the best so it’s definitely rally time. Hopefully I will have lots to update on the other side. Or sooner if I procrastinate….cheers!