July 19th, 2007
London, England

Today was our meeting with the Lord Mayor, so the five of us with the VOL/BREF were excused from the class for the day. We decided it would be a good day to try to get Wicked tickets, so we went to the box office at ten, having been told the afternoon before that if we got there shortly after the box office opened we would get great student tickets, but unfortunately due to the long queue that had already formed by ten AM, the ticket agent informed us that they were going to be selling out that day, and that there were no student tickets available.

So we headed over to the theatre where Billy Elliot was playing. Rebecca, Leah, and I bought tickets to see Billy Elliot, and the others went back to the dorm.

We got dressed and headed to our meeting with the Lord Mayor, but unfortunately there were some sort of major tube delays. We left the dorm with plenty of time to spare, but due to the tube delays, we were forced to run from the Aldgate tube stop to Guildhall, where the City of London's Council Meeting was to be held. We ran the entire way (we even ran past some joggers on our way), in strictly formal attire. It was pretty comedic, so much so that I actually busted out the camera and took pictures of Leah and Lindsay running. It turns out that the Lord Mayor got caught up in traffic, and his car dropped him off late as well. The Lord Mayor and those accompanying him were decked out. I felt like I had time-traveled to the 18th century and was meeting George Washington and a couple of his cronies. They had the wigs, the staffs, the whole shebang.

The meeting ended up being quite boring, and I was more than ready by the time it was over. After the meeting and some pictures with the Lord Mayor, we went to the art gallery. The art gallery was an experience, and I would have never paid to go in there (the Lord Mayor's assistant got us in for free). There was an old amphitheatre at the bottom of the museum, which was probably the coolest part. There was also a statue that reminded Juli and I a bit of a hilarious work of art we ran into at the Louvre. SO we took pictures with it. Unfortunately, somewhere in the juggling of looking for this picture on my camera to show the others who did not get why we found th is statue funny at all), I lost my spare camera battery. :(

We got lunch and a smoothie near the Aldgate Station, and then Lindsay, Leah, and I took a detour to King's Cross Station where we staged a photo op at Platform 9 3/4. By the time we got back, it was nearly dinner time. I made some pasta, and then we headed off to Billy Elliot.

Billy Elliot is now my third favorite show of all time. It was INCREDIBLE, and I must say I was a bit envious of the thirteen year old lead, because he was living out what would have been my dream when I was younger. What I would give to be in a show like that (too bad I can't sing). Every time I go to a show, I get a bit nostalgic about my acting experience. I definitely miss it, and would undoubtedly try out for UAs productions if they were not reserved only for theatre majors. The show was great. Leah cried, and proclaimed emphatically at the end of the show that it was the best she has ever seen. Rebecca and I both thoroughly enjoyed it as well. I am excited to see some more.

After Billy Elliot, Leah and I headed off to Cavanaugh's to meet several others for another evening of great live music. It was a ton of fun, and I think it is safe to say that I will have spent every Thursday in London at Cavanaugh's by the time I leave here. It is a ton of fun!!