I am 23! Really psyched, I think this is going to be a good one (partly because it will be completely consumed by LISPA, traveling in Europe, and other wonderful young adult-y things). My classmates and housemates were really amazing: yesterday Jill and Kate made me a tea party with, well, tea, and about half a dozen different types of little sandwiches, and scones, and fairy cakes (cupcakes to us yanks), and the lovely company of about ten of my classmates. It was really the most perfect birthday party I could have imagined, and today I got given lots of hugs and chocolate and good wishes, and even a cake, to my complete surprise! I guess you know it's your birthday when fully half of your lunch consists of chocolate cake. So it's been a really wonderful birthday, and it feels like a good send-off into the next year.
And my birthday gift to you all... photos! As always, let me know if this link doesn't work. :)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023781&id=4101276&l=3975ed0392
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Moving house
We're moving! 2 Henniker Road has finally worn us down with its dampness, mold, broken radiators, peeling wallpaper, leaks in the roof, broken appliances, rats and mice in the kitchen, and condoms (yes, condoms) in the backyard (no, we don't know how they got there). We're also getting sick of walking to and from school passing myriads of nasty-smelling fried chicken shops, a brothel, and several construction sites on the way. Thankfully, we're doing well as a household and most of us want to stay for the summer, so our current plan is to find a nice 5 or 6 bedroom house in Plaistow, which is a nice area near the school, and move in ASAP. I'm sure there'll be lots of stories coming out of this, so I'll be sure to keep y'all posted.
In other news, school is becoming more and more demanding. We had to make our own masks and use them this past week, which was a bit of a trial for all of us. We've moved out of the realm of animals and into masks, so we've been working with our own masks, larval masks (which are somewhere between human and animal), and this week we'll be using expressive masks, which is quite exciting. Mask work is quite difficult: it requires a very high level of focus, since our bodies need to be on the same "level" as the masks, and we need to be in absolute control of every movement, or the mask doesn't play. Needless to say, it gets frustrating, and that frustration is added to by the fact that we're all getting more and more fed up with each other, having worked together for around 6 months now in really really really close quarters every day. Our next creation theme is "the brawl," which is quite well timed, I think, and should be a lot of fun, especially since in acrobatics class we're learning a martial art called Hap-kido (sp?) and we're encouraged to use those moves in our creation. So we get to beat each other up, and have fun doing it! :D
So yeah, I'm struggling ahead, watching the time go by really really quickly (the year is nearly three quarters over!). Life as usual at LISPA!
In other news, school is becoming more and more demanding. We had to make our own masks and use them this past week, which was a bit of a trial for all of us. We've moved out of the realm of animals and into masks, so we've been working with our own masks, larval masks (which are somewhere between human and animal), and this week we'll be using expressive masks, which is quite exciting. Mask work is quite difficult: it requires a very high level of focus, since our bodies need to be on the same "level" as the masks, and we need to be in absolute control of every movement, or the mask doesn't play. Needless to say, it gets frustrating, and that frustration is added to by the fact that we're all getting more and more fed up with each other, having worked together for around 6 months now in really really really close quarters every day. Our next creation theme is "the brawl," which is quite well timed, I think, and should be a lot of fun, especially since in acrobatics class we're learning a martial art called Hap-kido (sp?) and we're encouraged to use those moves in our creation. So we get to beat each other up, and have fun doing it! :D
So yeah, I'm struggling ahead, watching the time go by really really quickly (the year is nearly three quarters over!). Life as usual at LISPA!
Friday, April 3, 2009
The saga of the bike
I am now the proud owner of a brand new, spick and span, blue/purple, foldable mountain bike... that I got at half price! It has 18 gears, front and rear suspension, and a cute little bell I can ding at people. :D
I got it from Argos, the coolest store ever: basically, they have everything (from engagement rings to, well, mountain bikes!). The storefront is full of catalogues, and you write down what you want on a little piece of paper, pay for it, and they get it for you out of this mysterious and presumably vast back room. In this case, I got it online, so I ordered the bike Sunday, received it Tuesday and spent that afternoon putting it together (which meant that the front brakes didn't work and, as I found out later, I put the handlebars on backwards). Then I rode it to a bike shop on Liverpool St. on Thursday (with no front brakes, the handlebars on backwards, and only a vague idea of where I was going... that was an adventure!) and picked it up today! So less than a week after ordering it, my bike is set to go!
And the best part about all of this is that bike, helmet, lock, reflective "trouser clips", and safety check/repairs cost less than 150 pounds! That's really quite staggering, especially for a new bike. Yay for Argos! :D
I got it from Argos, the coolest store ever: basically, they have everything (from engagement rings to, well, mountain bikes!). The storefront is full of catalogues, and you write down what you want on a little piece of paper, pay for it, and they get it for you out of this mysterious and presumably vast back room. In this case, I got it online, so I ordered the bike Sunday, received it Tuesday and spent that afternoon putting it together (which meant that the front brakes didn't work and, as I found out later, I put the handlebars on backwards). Then I rode it to a bike shop on Liverpool St. on Thursday (with no front brakes, the handlebars on backwards, and only a vague idea of where I was going... that was an adventure!) and picked it up today! So less than a week after ordering it, my bike is set to go!
And the best part about all of this is that bike, helmet, lock, reflective "trouser clips", and safety check/repairs cost less than 150 pounds! That's really quite staggering, especially for a new bike. Yay for Argos! :D
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