Ballet

I woke up excited this morning. It is so fun to have plans. For someone who doesn’t ever have plans, having plans is a big deal! So I woke up happy that I only had to sit through one lecture today, and excited to go see Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Opera House! The commute this morning was nice an quick. The tube was empty and even Baker Street seemed less crowded! My Jubilee train arrived at a perfect time because I walked to the other platform and the Circle line train was pulling in! I love when that happens! I got to school and had to hold back tears because Matthew died in Anne of Green Gables. I actually had to skip most of it just so I wouldn’t get all choked up. Im pathetic! But then Anne and Gilbert FINALLY became friends so it is all good! I love these books!

Lecture today was on glass. It was actually pretty cool and I learned a LOT. I was just wiggly in my seat! I have decided that I am not going into glass however because no one really signed their work. How lame and boring is that? I need a medium that people marked their stuff! So other thing is on my no list for my thesis!

Without the internet I have been doing a lot of reading! It started with seeing Jane Austen in my local, stinky, library and went from there. Persuasion was first, then Emma, and I just finished Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen certainly became a better writer as she went! Much like J.K Rowling!) I have also read The Red Queen, Anne of Green Gables (the first one), The Hangman’s Daughter (really good!), and am now on the second book in the Anne series. Not too shabby for a month! I also have Death and the Virgin to read which should be good. Its all about the death of Amy Dudley!!! (for those of you who just said “who?” its Robert Dudleys wife who was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth and Amy was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. Murder or accident?? I think Queen E 1 and Dudley were a little more than just “friends”) Anyways the lack of internet sure makes one read a lot (and play chess against the computer. I think I am getting worse actually…)

So there is a huge Leonardo Da Vinci (never call him Da Vinci!) going on at the national Gallery. I feel like I SHOULD see it but I don’t really WANT to. As an art history major I am not a Leonardo fan. Yes he was a genius, and his brushwork is amazing but there are plenty of other artists who I like better. Leo’s machines on the other hand… cool! :) I decided I was an embarrassment to the art history world if I didn’t go. So I went on last night to buy my 8 pound ticket (another reason I didn’t want to go.. its not free) and they are sold out. The show is sold out except for 500 tickets that are set aside per day. GAH. Now if I want to go I have to get up early on a study day to run down to be first in line to get a ticket! The website says the queue can be up to a 3 hour wait. Ok… not really feeling it.

Ok Im off to take a nap before I get ready for my big night out! The big question I have to answer is bring my big ugly purse, or my cute little clutch that I have never used? This would be an easy answer is I didn’t have to consider my comfort and safety. Can I take London on in heels or do I need to wear my flats and bring them??? Hmmmm……

So I decided on the ugly purse and I was grateful because on my way home I was in pain and whipped out the flats! I left “early” at 5:45 so I would be at the Opera House at 6:45. Well it’s a good thing I did because I cannot walk in heels. I probably looked like an idiot. It took me forever to get to the ATM, and then I was like this is dumb, Im taking the bus to the tube. It was 6:05 by the time I got to the tube. My line hits the Piccadilly line at Green Park so its really easy to get to Charing Cross but I forgot about the switch… you have to walk a tunnel that seems longer than the Lincoln tunnel. Sigh. I made it though! By the time I emerged from the tube station at Charing Cross it was 6:40. I took a guess on which way the Opera House was and I was right! I picked up my ticket easily enough but then I had to find my seat by myself. I have to say for a fancy of a place that it is, there isn’t many people to show you were to go. So I read signs and got to the in house restaurant. I probably would have turned around but the couple in front of me said something about the escalator and I followed them. They were right and we went up and the next level was the bar (the royal opera house knows what they are doing. They have CLASS) I was just like oh great it’s a dead end and Im just at the bar. I walked down it and saw a huge window that looked down on the restaurant. It was amazing. I really should have taken a picture (I will next time!) The entire structure was glass and it was at least three stories high and it looked like a giant greenhouse. It was impressive!

I looked out the window to waste time, but then I didn’t know if I had to buy a drink to be in the room (turns out you don’t) so I kept moving. I finally saw a sign for my section! Woo! I made it! So I headed over and its roped off. Gah. So I went up and down the hall looking at pictures of Joan Sutherland (apparently she is famous. I learned something at least!) While I was on the far end of the hall, one of the workers told a guest that the auditorium didn’t open til 7. Everything made sense then! So I looked a little longer (I was early!) And finally they opened the doors!

I was the first and only person to go through the “lower Slip” door so it was nice to slowly find my seat! I was close to the stage, but the ledge cut off the lower left of the stage. I saw most of the show, but was frustrated when I couldn’t see! The Royal Opera House was impressive!! I was really really high up which was fun.

The ballet itself was good. I loved the dancing, but the story was LAME. It went from her being a baby to pricking her finger, to waking up and partying. AND there was only one fairy and she told Philip to go to Sleep Beauty. It wasn’t even his own idea. I don’t know… I could have done the story better but the dancing was cool! Oh Aurora wore a pink tutu for most of it except at the end she had a white one. I was disappointed. She should have worn blue!

Overall it was a good night! Worth 15 pounds to see! When I make 80,000 a year plus, Im going to have season tickets in the very front row!