Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sabbath. Last week's sabbath was really good. I remember it well because I wrote about it. But this one was not quite as good. I think it was probably because I didn't keep it. We had an optional trip to Windsor to tour the castle and attend an evensong there. They made it perfectly clear that they trip was optional, but I wanted to go, so I did. It wasn't so much that we were paying money to do things, so much as the fact that it wasn't a day of rest, neither figuratively, nor literally. I cherish my sabbaths because they help me put everything in perspective and when I don't have the opportunity to do that, the day means so much less than it normally does. Even if I go to church, as I did this morning, and then go and do something else, it just doesn't allow me the rest and sanctity of a normal sabbath. And that is important. In the Bible dictionary, it talks about how entire nations' downfalls have been the result of their breaking the sabbath. While I do not think the Lord would destroy an entire nation just for breaking the sabbath, I do think it can be a starting point—a gateway drug—that can lead to other things. All it takes is us changing our scopes and direction once and if we don't get back soon (i.e. by going to church and being strengthened there), we get farther and farther off the path. It just doesn't take very much for us to stray a little bit to get us to stray a lottle bit.
Church was really good today. I went to a family ward in the morning and really liked it. The ward is pretty big, with TONS of visitors every week, but the actual members seem to be really awesome. It seems like they are a bit like one of my areas on my mission—really well-established, but they also have enough recent converts that it keeps the ward fresh and young at heart, in the gospel sense. It was really refreshing to be back in that kind of environment. I really liked it.
I skipped out on Priesthood and got something to eat, because otherwise, I wouldn't be eating till about 8-8:30, when we got back to London from Windsor.
And then we went out to Windsor by motorcoach. Windsor Castle was really cool. I felt like I connected much more with it than I did Versaille(s?). It was far more human and a bit more sensible...which is not to say it was not ornate and just decorated out the wazoo. But it was a little more down-to-earth out the wazoo decorating.
Anyway, I enjoyed it. Then we got food at a dirty pub. And missed Evensong because we got to the door one minute before the service started. That'll teach me to be late to things. Or not really early to them. Something like that.
Then on home for a chill night of talking with friends. As I was doing so, one of my friends had another friend over here who wanted to go visit another friend over at the London center and then had to get to her hostel a little ways away. My friend didn't want her to go alone, so she asked me to go with her. While I was over there, I met this girl who really caught my eye. We had great a super great, tintillating conversation and I fully intend on asking her out when I get back to Provo. It was really quite refreshing to meet someone that actually caught me eye. It hasn't happened since...September. I'll look forward to exploring that when I get back to Provo.
We got to my friend's friend's hostel at about 12:15, and then I had to make my way back on the bus system, since the Tube was closed. It's a good thing I lived in Sao Paulo for two years, or I'm pretty sure I would have been reasonably scared. But I was totally fine. I am glad I feel confident about getting around places. It makes life for easier.
Anyway, this is the last time I have to do an official journal entry for my program. I'll obviously continue blogging here and there, but it'll likely be a bit more sparse—certainly not daily. But keep in touch, ok? If you miss me, find me on facebook or email me. Love to all.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Let's see...what did I do today?! Heavens, I really can't remember. Isn't that weird how after an incredibly eventful day or weekend, someone can ask you what you did and you can totally not recall anything that you did? I think it is.
Well, now I remember. I woke up at a reasonable hour (9ish, which, if I were at home, would not be a reasonable hour, but I've adapted slightly different sleep habits on this trip.), read the skippies, and then went to get tickets for a touring production of “Spamalot” with theatre friend Annalee and a few of her friends.
We went to Pizza Express, which is pretty similar to California Pizza Kitchen back in the states, before the show for lunch and then hit up the show.
Honestly, the show was kind of disappointing. I think in order to really pull it off, you have to go at it with about 400% dedication and these guys did it with about 94%. In a regular show, 94% might actually fly, but not this one; you need much more than that. I could see the show being just phenomenal, but they weren't totally committed to their humor and jokes, etc. I think I'm finding that I find British musical theatre to be fairly disappointing on the whole, actually. There have been very few times during this trip that things have really clicked in and made me think they really worked. Now, straight theatre is a totally different story. The straight theatre has been, on the whole VERY good. I've been super pleased with it. But I don't think I plan on seeing any more musicals in England (if/when I come back) unless I hear consistent rave reviews from extremely credible sources.
Since the show got out a bit early, I headed back home before our evening concert of the Croyden Philharmonic Choir. They did Haydn's “The Creation.” The orchestra was pretty decent and the choir was....well, as my friend, Emily, and I decided, not painful...mostly. The soloists were actually quite good though. I especially liked the soprano. She had a beautiful, Baroque-style voice and had not been singing for so long that it had gotten too warbly. Often, when sopranoes get into their career, they started being influenced pretty heavily by opera and other styles of music and they start developing a shrill, warbly sound. Well, it's not like it's a light switch and BAM, they have it, but they definitely do go that direction. Anyway, she had a very round, warm tone and it was very pleasant to listen to. I also thought the tenor was quite good. He placed his voice in fairly high placement, which lent itself well to Haydn's music. The baritone was....good, but I didn't like him. And he had some warbly notes, when it wasn't quite clear which note he was trying to sing.
I felt kind of bad tonight. I went to the concert not really in the mood to go to a concert. Consequently, when I saw that the concert was going to more less like the Ealing Choral Society from a couple weeks ago, I kind of tuned out a bit. I think I could have gotten a lot more out of the concert, had I gone in with the correct attitude. But then again, sometimes you just don't want to do things. And I suppose it is our responsibility to change our attitude, even if we don't want to do that thing.
One highlight of the concert was the conductor. He was about as ballistic as they come. When he wanted a really big rebound in his pattern, he would often have his hand explode into a brief jazz hands-like manner, usually accompanied by a swift head flip, which caused quite the hair flop. The man was all over the place. It was really quite thrilling to watch him and his animation.
And then back to the flat to hang out for a chill night.
Let's see...what did I do today?! Heavens, I really can't remember. Isn't that weird how after an incredibly eventful day or weekend, someone can ask you what you did and you can totally not recall anything that you did? I think it is.
Well, now I remember. I woke up at a reasonable hour (9ish, which, if I were at home, would not be a reasonable hour, but I've adapted slightly different sleep habits on this trip.), read the skippies, and then went to get tickets for a touring production of “Spamalot” with theatre friend Annalee and a few of her friends.
We went to Pizza Express, which is pretty similar to California Pizza Kitchen back in the states, before the show for lunch and then hit up the show.
Honestly, the show was kind of disappointing. I think in order to really pull it off, you have to go at it with about 400% dedication and these guys did it with about 94%. In a regular show, 94% might actually fly, but not this one; you need much more than that. I could see the show being just phenomenal, but they weren't totally committed to their humor and jokes, etc. I think I'm finding that I find British musical theatre to be fairly disappointing on the whole, actually. There have been very few times during this trip that things have really clicked in and made me think they really worked. Now, straight theatre is a totally different story. The straight theatre has been, on the whole VERY good. I've been super pleased with it. But I don't think I plan on seeing any more musicals in England (if/when I come back) unless I hear consistent rave reviews from extremely credible sources.
Since the show got out a bit early, I headed back home before our evening concert of the Croyden Philharmonic Choir. They did Haydn's “The Creation.” The orchestra was pretty decent and the choir was....well, as my friend, Emily, and I decided, not painful...mostly. The soloists were actually quite good though. I especially liked the soprano. She had a beautiful, Baroque-style voice and had not been singing for so long that it had gotten too warbly. Often, when sopranoes get into their career, they started being influenced pretty heavily by opera and other styles of music and they start developing a shrill, warbly sound. Well, it's not like it's a light switch and BAM, they have it, but they definitely do go that direction. Anyway, she had a very round, warm tone and it was very pleasant to listen to. I also thought the tenor was quite good. He placed his voice in fairly high placement, which lent itself well to Haydn's music. The baritone was....good, but I didn't like him. And he had some warbly notes, when it wasn't quite clear which note he was trying to sing.
I felt kind of bad tonight. I went to the concert not really in the mood to go to a concert. Consequently, when I saw that the concert was going to more less like the Ealing Choral Society from a couple weeks ago, I kind of tuned out a bit. I think I could have gotten a lot more out of the concert, had I gone in with the correct attitude. But then again, sometimes you just don't want to do things. And I suppose it is our responsibility to change our attitude, even if we don't want to do that thing.
One highlight of the concert was the conductor. He was about as ballistic as they come. When he wanted a really big rebound in his pattern, he would often have his hand explode into a brief jazz hands-like manner, usually accompanied by a swift head flip, which caused quite the hair flop. The man was all over the place. It was really quite thrilling to watch him and his animation.
And then back to the flat to hang out for a chill night.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010, 2010
I really enjoyed our day today. We started the day by going to class and having Brother Whimmer (our tour guide, more or less) lecture on the two World Wars, focusing largely on the wars from the British perspective. I really liked that, but found myself wanting more time to go through everything (as he did). He only had about an hour to do both wars, so it was rather rushed.
We then went through two choral pieces written during and/or as a result of the wars: Vaughan Williams' “Dona Nobis Pacem” and Britten's “War Requiem.” I really enjoyed the VW piece, but I still have a hard time connecting with Britten. I can accept and appreciate his music as very intelligent and complex, but I just can't connect with him emotionally. We did a piece by him this past year, “I Loved a Lass,” which which I actually connected fairly decently, but basically everything else I've heard by him has been just a little too disjunct for my liking. I feel a bit frustrated by it, because I often pride myself on being extremely open-minded about music and can fairly easily delve into a piece of music and a composer—if it is good writing. There are plenty of composers I just can't appreciate because they simply do not write good music.
Anyway, after class, we headed home for some lunch and then we all went independently to the Imperial War Museum, which I loved. In fact, I may even go back. One thing I found a bit frustrating about it was that they had INCREDIBLE amounts of uniforms and armory, but it was sometimes a bit thin on the information about the wars. I would have preferred to receive more information about what actually happened in the wars, as opposed to just seeing uniforms, guns, armory, etc.
They did have two exhibits that I enjoyed a great deal:
One was a trench exhibit/replica/simulation for World War I. It smelled really bad—probably not as bas as the actual ones—and they did quite a good job of modeling and designing it to look fairly haphazardly constructed, as I imagine the original ones were. I felt like I got a better grasp of what trench life was, though I am probably nowhere near where I should or want to be in regard to my knowledge of what it was. I wish there were more films about WWI so we would understand it better. I suppose the US wasn't nearly as involved in that war as it was in other wars and since the majority of films that come out in the US are made by Americans, they just aren't as motivated to write scripts about it.
Anyway, the other exhibit that I liked a lot was a bomb shelter that they used during the Blitz, when the Luftwaffe bombed the living daylights out of London. They had us all go into a super small brick room with two wooden benches. We stayed in there for about five or ten minutes while we were “bombed,” which consisted in recordings of loud explosions and screaming, among sounds of buildings collapsing. They then had us move out of the room once the bombing was over and we saw the ruins of the city. It was dark and there were tons of “fires” all around us. They narrated it simply by recordings of people talking to each other about the damages from the bombs. It was pretty cool.
After the museum, friend Emily and I went to get yummy Thai food. Then I watched “Saving Private Ryan” with a few friends. I don't necessarily enjoy watching that movie, but I think films or experiences like that are essential to understanding what WWII was and what war is. I remember not really appreciating war and WWII until I saw that film. That film brought to light all the things they had to suffer through. I hadn't seen it since I was about 15 or 16, so I thought it was about time I watched it again. It's a fabulous and powerful film.
Below are my notes from class today.
140 million deaths associated with deaths in 20th century
GB had had peace for about 100 yrs prev to WWI
problems within the empire, but no wars
previously constantly at war with Frnc
most powerful and wealthy country in the world at that time
highest standard of living, healthiest people
GB believed that war was a thing of the past—that they had established peace
We (U.S.) have a tendency to view war as moral conflict b/t good and evil—God and Satan, essentially
WWI was fought b/t abt 40 mi b/t France and Belgium (trenches)
gases used in trenches
effects lasted yrs and yrs
role of U.S.:
53,000 casualties
Amer perspective: “aw crap, we've gotta go save Britain again”
Brit persp: “Johnny come late.”
not a moral war.
Ex: cooks exchanging recipes, Christmas Eve celebration
ended bc both sides were totally exhausted and couldn't suffer any more casualties
often stated that God was one of the casualties – faith
WWII:
Germany got short end of stick
blamed largely for WWI
in Treaty of Versailles, Germany had to admit guilt
$40 Bill. Reparations due from Germany
hyper inflation
Sept, '39 – May '40 – not much fighting, but some gunfire
Hitler: “Give us the continent (incl Russia) and you can have the rest of the world.”
Churchill refused
England sent armada of little boats to pick up soldiers
May 29, 1940
Britain alone against Luftwaffe
Churchill gave speech declaring their aims against Germany
Hitler hated it – began 80 day war of personalities b/t the two
began preparations for operation Sea Lion – German Navy to take out Royal Air Force
RAF – only 1200 pilots
Battle of Britain
RAF was very effective, but couldn't afford losses
for every 1 RAF loss, there were 2.5 Germ. Losses
Sept. 7 – German Luftwaffe invades, supasses London, bombs civillian areas
50-60,000 Britons killed
although many civillians were killed, it gave RAF chance to recover and rest; retrain, etc.
Vaughan Williams
brought up in very affluent family
enlisted in WWI as ambulence man – carrying stretchers
horrific experiences
people who heard his music before said his music was never the same
Commissioned to write Dona Nobis Pacem as WWII was brewing
chose texts from several scs
began with mass, then moved to Walt Whitman poem (Whitman served as nurse during Amer. Civil War)
Went around and recorded people singing English Folk songs that had not been written down
much of his music sounds like English folk songs
I really enjoyed our day today. We started the day by going to class and having Brother Whimmer (our tour guide, more or less) lecture on the two World Wars, focusing largely on the wars from the British perspective. I really liked that, but found myself wanting more time to go through everything (as he did). He only had about an hour to do both wars, so it was rather rushed.
We then went through two choral pieces written during and/or as a result of the wars: Vaughan Williams' “Dona Nobis Pacem” and Britten's “War Requiem.” I really enjoyed the VW piece, but I still have a hard time connecting with Britten. I can accept and appreciate his music as very intelligent and complex, but I just can't connect with him emotionally. We did a piece by him this past year, “I Loved a Lass,” which which I actually connected fairly decently, but basically everything else I've heard by him has been just a little too disjunct for my liking. I feel a bit frustrated by it, because I often pride myself on being extremely open-minded about music and can fairly easily delve into a piece of music and a composer—if it is good writing. There are plenty of composers I just can't appreciate because they simply do not write good music.
Anyway, after class, we headed home for some lunch and then we all went independently to the Imperial War Museum, which I loved. In fact, I may even go back. One thing I found a bit frustrating about it was that they had INCREDIBLE amounts of uniforms and armory, but it was sometimes a bit thin on the information about the wars. I would have preferred to receive more information about what actually happened in the wars, as opposed to just seeing uniforms, guns, armory, etc.
They did have two exhibits that I enjoyed a great deal:
One was a trench exhibit/replica/simulation for World War I. It smelled really bad—probably not as bas as the actual ones—and they did quite a good job of modeling and designing it to look fairly haphazardly constructed, as I imagine the original ones were. I felt like I got a better grasp of what trench life was, though I am probably nowhere near where I should or want to be in regard to my knowledge of what it was. I wish there were more films about WWI so we would understand it better. I suppose the US wasn't nearly as involved in that war as it was in other wars and since the majority of films that come out in the US are made by Americans, they just aren't as motivated to write scripts about it.
Anyway, the other exhibit that I liked a lot was a bomb shelter that they used during the Blitz, when the Luftwaffe bombed the living daylights out of London. They had us all go into a super small brick room with two wooden benches. We stayed in there for about five or ten minutes while we were “bombed,” which consisted in recordings of loud explosions and screaming, among sounds of buildings collapsing. They then had us move out of the room once the bombing was over and we saw the ruins of the city. It was dark and there were tons of “fires” all around us. They narrated it simply by recordings of people talking to each other about the damages from the bombs. It was pretty cool.
After the museum, friend Emily and I went to get yummy Thai food. Then I watched “Saving Private Ryan” with a few friends. I don't necessarily enjoy watching that movie, but I think films or experiences like that are essential to understanding what WWII was and what war is. I remember not really appreciating war and WWII until I saw that film. That film brought to light all the things they had to suffer through. I hadn't seen it since I was about 15 or 16, so I thought it was about time I watched it again. It's a fabulous and powerful film.
Below are my notes from class today.
140 million deaths associated with deaths in 20th century
GB had had peace for about 100 yrs prev to WWI
problems within the empire, but no wars
previously constantly at war with Frnc
most powerful and wealthy country in the world at that time
highest standard of living, healthiest people
GB believed that war was a thing of the past—that they had established peace
We (U.S.) have a tendency to view war as moral conflict b/t good and evil—God and Satan, essentially
WWI was fought b/t abt 40 mi b/t France and Belgium (trenches)
gases used in trenches
effects lasted yrs and yrs
role of U.S.:
53,000 casualties
Amer perspective: “aw crap, we've gotta go save Britain again”
Brit persp: “Johnny come late.”
not a moral war.
Ex: cooks exchanging recipes, Christmas Eve celebration
ended bc both sides were totally exhausted and couldn't suffer any more casualties
often stated that God was one of the casualties – faith
WWII:
Germany got short end of stick
blamed largely for WWI
in Treaty of Versailles, Germany had to admit guilt
$40 Bill. Reparations due from Germany
hyper inflation
Sept, '39 – May '40 – not much fighting, but some gunfire
Hitler: “Give us the continent (incl Russia) and you can have the rest of the world.”
Churchill refused
England sent armada of little boats to pick up soldiers
May 29, 1940
Britain alone against Luftwaffe
Churchill gave speech declaring their aims against Germany
Hitler hated it – began 80 day war of personalities b/t the two
began preparations for operation Sea Lion – German Navy to take out Royal Air Force
RAF – only 1200 pilots
Battle of Britain
RAF was very effective, but couldn't afford losses
for every 1 RAF loss, there were 2.5 Germ. Losses
Sept. 7 – German Luftwaffe invades, supasses London, bombs civillian areas
50-60,000 Britons killed
although many civillians were killed, it gave RAF chance to recover and rest; retrain, etc.
Vaughan Williams
brought up in very affluent family
enlisted in WWI as ambulence man – carrying stretchers
horrific experiences
people who heard his music before said his music was never the same
Commissioned to write Dona Nobis Pacem as WWII was brewing
chose texts from several scs
began with mass, then moved to Walt Whitman poem (Whitman served as nurse during Amer. Civil War)
Went around and recorded people singing English Folk songs that had not been written down
much of his music sounds like English folk songs
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Canterbury!
Enchanting place, that one. After a nice lunch at Pizza Express with Heather, Emily, and Nick, the group took a tour of the Cathedral of Canterbury (the equivalent of...Temple Square for the Anglican Church, you might say, since that is where the head Archbishop resides), which was quite nice. It was an actual tourguide, which really made the cathedral come to life for me. I loved being able to ask him questions and get his take on things. There is a ton of history in that cathedral. My favorite stories from the cathedral:
When Oliver Cromwell was ridding England of all fancy piety, he had his men break all of the stained glass they could reach in the cathedral. They had fairly tall ladders, but could not reach all the windows, such as the ones a few stories up. So the top windows are from the 1200s and the bottom ones are from the 1600s. Beautiful stained glass. I'd say it's just as pretty as Saint Chapel in Paris, but the entire sides of the cathedral aren't covered in glass like Saint Chapel is.
The other story had to do with World War II. The Luftwaffe dropped tons of incendiary bombs on th cathedral and they actually had employees who would stay up there and kick off the bombs. Pretty incredible stuff. And amazingly enough, the cathedral was totally untouched through the war.
Really gorgeous place. Tons of history.
After, we went to an abbey that was totally destroyed in the bombings. It was cool. Really pretty. Not too much more to say about that.
And we went punting on a manmade canal and it was pretty. And then we went to a sung Eucharist at the cathedral. The choir was....well, bad.
And back to the flats to....well, I don't really remember. Must not have been terribly momentous.
Canterbury!
Enchanting place, that one. After a nice lunch at Pizza Express with Heather, Emily, and Nick, the group took a tour of the Cathedral of Canterbury (the equivalent of...Temple Square for the Anglican Church, you might say, since that is where the head Archbishop resides), which was quite nice. It was an actual tourguide, which really made the cathedral come to life for me. I loved being able to ask him questions and get his take on things. There is a ton of history in that cathedral. My favorite stories from the cathedral:
When Oliver Cromwell was ridding England of all fancy piety, he had his men break all of the stained glass they could reach in the cathedral. They had fairly tall ladders, but could not reach all the windows, such as the ones a few stories up. So the top windows are from the 1200s and the bottom ones are from the 1600s. Beautiful stained glass. I'd say it's just as pretty as Saint Chapel in Paris, but the entire sides of the cathedral aren't covered in glass like Saint Chapel is.
The other story had to do with World War II. The Luftwaffe dropped tons of incendiary bombs on th cathedral and they actually had employees who would stay up there and kick off the bombs. Pretty incredible stuff. And amazingly enough, the cathedral was totally untouched through the war.
Really gorgeous place. Tons of history.
After, we went to an abbey that was totally destroyed in the bombings. It was cool. Really pretty. Not too much more to say about that.
And we went punting on a manmade canal and it was pretty. And then we went to a sung Eucharist at the cathedral. The choir was....well, bad.
And back to the flats to....well, I don't really remember. Must not have been terribly momentous.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
And this is the full record of the day. It was a GREAT day, full of culture and learning.
I woke up at a leisurely hour and hit the road with Michelle, Scott, and Jessica to go get tickets for “All My Sons.” After getting over there, the four of us split into two groups and Jessica and I went to exchange her Macbeth tickets for a different day, after which we went to the British Library, where we saw such things as original Beatles sheet music, the earliest known manuscripts of Bible passages, an original score of Handel's Messiah (which he composed in 24 days....WHAT?), one of the original copies of the Magna Carta, among other original religious works. It was really fantastic.
I've been thinking about museums a lot lately. We go to them to see things and learn about them. But most of those things we find in museums we can also find on the internet. I guess the question is “what do you actually gain from seeing the item in person? People say (and I include myself in this) that it's just not the same as seeing the things in person. Perhaps it is similar to what happens to us when we hear live music—some endorphins get going in our head and it makes us all tingly inside. Whatever it is, it keeps us going back for more.
After the library, we had to skiddaddle like crazy monkies to get back to the theater for the matinee of “All My Sons,” largley because the tube map didn't show some critical information to our arriving at our destination. Anyway, we made it with a few minutes to spare and all was well.
Let me just say upfront that “All My Sons” on West End was THE best, most masterful acting I have EVER seen on stage and maybe in my life. It BLEW me away. All the actors were so incredibly saturated into their characters. They knew every singly knook and cranny of their characters and were so good at simply living on stage. They merely existed and were so believable. And I cannot even say just how amazingly spot-on their acting was. The script was just fantastically written. I can not get over how much Miller packed into one script. He was an absolutely phenomenal playwright. It is easily the best stage performance I have ever seen. I am still reeling from it as I write this entry three days later.
After being totally and completely stunned by the production, we went to get Thai food at a restaurant near China town. My dish was good, but not phenomenal. Jessica, who doesn't like spicy food at all got a green curry, which was quite spicy, but fantastic. So we basically traded. Both ended up quite pleased with the other's dish.
And off we went to see Tosca at the English National Opera. Beautiful music. Great voices. Not phenomenal, but good. I'll tell you what though, Puccini could flat out write music. Dang. That man could write emotion. All the operas by the ENO are done in English, which I honestly found a bit distracting. Since the music wasn't written originally to be sung in English, it ended up sounding a bit awkward. However, the plot was gripping for me.
And then back to the flats for a chill evening.
And this is the full record of the day. It was a GREAT day, full of culture and learning.
I woke up at a leisurely hour and hit the road with Michelle, Scott, and Jessica to go get tickets for “All My Sons.” After getting over there, the four of us split into two groups and Jessica and I went to exchange her Macbeth tickets for a different day, after which we went to the British Library, where we saw such things as original Beatles sheet music, the earliest known manuscripts of Bible passages, an original score of Handel's Messiah (which he composed in 24 days....WHAT?), one of the original copies of the Magna Carta, among other original religious works. It was really fantastic.
I've been thinking about museums a lot lately. We go to them to see things and learn about them. But most of those things we find in museums we can also find on the internet. I guess the question is “what do you actually gain from seeing the item in person? People say (and I include myself in this) that it's just not the same as seeing the things in person. Perhaps it is similar to what happens to us when we hear live music—some endorphins get going in our head and it makes us all tingly inside. Whatever it is, it keeps us going back for more.
After the library, we had to skiddaddle like crazy monkies to get back to the theater for the matinee of “All My Sons,” largley because the tube map didn't show some critical information to our arriving at our destination. Anyway, we made it with a few minutes to spare and all was well.
Let me just say upfront that “All My Sons” on West End was THE best, most masterful acting I have EVER seen on stage and maybe in my life. It BLEW me away. All the actors were so incredibly saturated into their characters. They knew every singly knook and cranny of their characters and were so good at simply living on stage. They merely existed and were so believable. And I cannot even say just how amazingly spot-on their acting was. The script was just fantastically written. I can not get over how much Miller packed into one script. He was an absolutely phenomenal playwright. It is easily the best stage performance I have ever seen. I am still reeling from it as I write this entry three days later.
After being totally and completely stunned by the production, we went to get Thai food at a restaurant near China town. My dish was good, but not phenomenal. Jessica, who doesn't like spicy food at all got a green curry, which was quite spicy, but fantastic. So we basically traded. Both ended up quite pleased with the other's dish.
And off we went to see Tosca at the English National Opera. Beautiful music. Great voices. Not phenomenal, but good. I'll tell you what though, Puccini could flat out write music. Dang. That man could write emotion. All the operas by the ENO are done in English, which I honestly found a bit distracting. Since the music wasn't written originally to be sung in English, it ended up sounding a bit awkward. However, the plot was gripping for me.
And then back to the flats for a chill evening.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 4, 2010
Wednesday, June 4, 2010
So on Friday, it is Poppy Day, which is a holiday the UK celebrates to commemorate the two World Wars. We are going to the Imperial War Museum after a class of learning about the wars. I am super excited for it. In preparation for that day, they've asked us to write down our feelings about the wars and then research the causes of those wars.
So here are my feelings about the wars:
World War I:
World War I was such a long time that it is much harder for me to be personally invested in it than I personally invest myself in WWII. Nevertheless, when I read about WWI, I am absolutely blown away by the things they suffered through. Trench warfare just sounds like a terribly miserable experience. I think about all the standing water, as well as the gas bombs, the regular bombs and the schrapnel from them. It was just so unsanitary. I feel like war back then was just about as miserable experience as you could have. Now, it is pretty easy for the Army to set up shelters and the like to create an environment that is a bit more comfortable than it was then. Those guys suffered. I can't even imagine the amount of sickness there was in those trenches. And not only there, but also life was also super rough in other parts of the war. I've seen films on World War I pilots and the planes then were still super new (only 10-15 years old) and there were still a ton of problems with them and the firearms they used. It was just so elementary.
As far as how WWI impacts my life, it does, but I don't consciously think about its effects like I do WWII's effects on my life. I suppose there have been far fewer media productions on WWI, so I appreciate it much less because I know so much less about it. I am excited to go research it, learn about it on Friday, and see things from it in the Imperial Museum.
And now feelings on WWII:
Wow. So many thoughts. I have learned so much about WWII that I actually have some kind of idea how it affects my life. For some reason, I am fascinated by what happened to a country under the power of a powerful, charismatic, wicked man. There was so much sadness that he brought about to millions and millions of people.
I first think about the concentration camps and the suffering the Jews went through there. I have been to the Holocaust Museum in DC and it was truly moving. Such abject humiliation was thrusted upon them. I think about the Nazis and what must have gone through their minds as they assisted in the treatment and killing of the prisoners—surely some of them had to have felt totally lost as to what to do. They had to have dealt with immense amounts of guilt as they inflicted the pain on those poor people.
Lastly, I think of the soldiers who fought for the liberty of so many people. I remember watching Saving Private Ryan and seeing the immense courage the soldiers had to face bullets literally coming straight at their heads. Oh, how that must have been terrifying. They were not ordinary men, even if they were just like any other ordinary kid on the street. Those men had heart and impeccable courage.
I meant to write about an experience I had a few weeks ago when we went to Cambridge, but somehow never did. We stopped at a memorial for American soldiers who were stationed in Britain during WWII and died in the fighting, especially pilots who flew over the Channel to fight over France. It was a moving cemetery, with all the white crosses marking their graves, as well as a chapel dedicated to them, a wall with all their names on it, and an American flag. I felt quite a bit of reverence as I walked along the wall and into the chapel, but the really powerful experience came for me when I stepped onto the grass and among the graves of those soldiers. I could feel them. I have, on few occasions, held anyone in such high regard. And certainly not anyone my own age. Those men died so that so many others could live. I could feel the honor they felt in having fought for that freedom; the sadness they felt for what was happening in the world at the time; the happiness that we still honored what they and others did for the world. Who knows what would have happened if they had not done what they did. They saved thousands, millions. I thank my Heavenly Father for their sacrifice.
And now the causes:
WWI:
1879 – The Dual Alliance – Germany and Austria-Hungary form an alliance to protect themselves from Russia.
1881 – The Austro-Serbian Alliance – Austria-Hungary makes an alliance with Serbia to prevent Russia from taking over Serbia
1882 – The Triple Alliance – Germany and Austria-Hungary make an alliance with Italy to stop Italy from taking sides with Russia.
1894 – Russia forms an alliance with France to protect itself from Germany and Austria-Hungary.
1904 – Entente Cordiale – Agreement, not formal alliance between France and England, stating that they would thenceforth co-exist peacefully, unlike the past....forever.
1907 – Anglo-Russian Entente – This was basically an earlier version of the Cold War, but between the two, though they hadn't had any real conflicts. But it was an unspoken rivalry they knew would eventually boil over into a real conflict, so they thought they would stop the conflict before it happened.
1914 – Triple Entente – England, France, and Russia all agreed not to sign for peace separately. This basically formed an alliance that would counter Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. Other countries influenced this agreement, including the US.
And then Serbian revolutionary Gavrilo Princip assassinated Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in August, 1914. And all hell broke loose. Essentially, the gun had been loaded for years, but the trigger simply needed to be pulled, which this assassination did. It was simply a huge blame game once the trigger was pulled on Ferdinand and wife, and people needed an excuse to get involved. And then all of Europe is at war. Bad news bears, I tell you.
World War II:
After the ending treaties of World War I, Germany was in a pretty sorry state. Before the war, there were 4.7 Francks to the dollar; at the end there were about 4.7 trillion Francks to the dollar. They were in dire need of a leader who could pull them out of the abyss in which they found themselves. And along came Hitler, a blastedly charismatic and idealistic man who presented a stance so convincingly that he got much of the country rallying behind him. Setting up a fascist dictatorship, Hitler created a country where he ruled with an iron fist and he simply got his way. Starting in 1933, he started building up the army and weaponry, as well as made military service compulsory.
In 1936, Hitler's troops invaded Prussia. Hitler also made two important alliances that year: the Rome Berlin Axis Pact, which allied Italy to Germany, as well as the Anti-Comitern Pact, allying Japan to Germany.
In 1938, Germany started reclaiming lands lost from the results of World War I, starting with Austria. In a vote forced on the country, 99% of the people said they wanted to be part of Germany. Hitler promised this would be the end of his expansion, but within six months, he was back on the move, taking back the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia.
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain of Britain met with Hitler, drawing up the Munich Agreement, stating that Hitler would stop there or risk war. Hitler again broke his word in March, 1939 and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia. France and England knew they could not stand idly by, so they agreed that if Hitler invaded Poland, they would intervene. And that he did, in August of 1939.
And all hell broke loose again, involving country after country.
And the last part of the assignment is to write down all the choral pieces I know that are about war. They're not many, but here goes:
War Requiem, by Benjamin Britten
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Yankee Doodle
Un Soir de Neige – Poulenc
Star Spangled Banner
Dona Nobis Pacem – Vaughan Williams
Onward Christian Soldiers
Flander's Fields - Aitken
So on Friday, it is Poppy Day, which is a holiday the UK celebrates to commemorate the two World Wars. We are going to the Imperial War Museum after a class of learning about the wars. I am super excited for it. In preparation for that day, they've asked us to write down our feelings about the wars and then research the causes of those wars.
So here are my feelings about the wars:
World War I:
World War I was such a long time that it is much harder for me to be personally invested in it than I personally invest myself in WWII. Nevertheless, when I read about WWI, I am absolutely blown away by the things they suffered through. Trench warfare just sounds like a terribly miserable experience. I think about all the standing water, as well as the gas bombs, the regular bombs and the schrapnel from them. It was just so unsanitary. I feel like war back then was just about as miserable experience as you could have. Now, it is pretty easy for the Army to set up shelters and the like to create an environment that is a bit more comfortable than it was then. Those guys suffered. I can't even imagine the amount of sickness there was in those trenches. And not only there, but also life was also super rough in other parts of the war. I've seen films on World War I pilots and the planes then were still super new (only 10-15 years old) and there were still a ton of problems with them and the firearms they used. It was just so elementary.
As far as how WWI impacts my life, it does, but I don't consciously think about its effects like I do WWII's effects on my life. I suppose there have been far fewer media productions on WWI, so I appreciate it much less because I know so much less about it. I am excited to go research it, learn about it on Friday, and see things from it in the Imperial Museum.
And now feelings on WWII:
Wow. So many thoughts. I have learned so much about WWII that I actually have some kind of idea how it affects my life. For some reason, I am fascinated by what happened to a country under the power of a powerful, charismatic, wicked man. There was so much sadness that he brought about to millions and millions of people.
I first think about the concentration camps and the suffering the Jews went through there. I have been to the Holocaust Museum in DC and it was truly moving. Such abject humiliation was thrusted upon them. I think about the Nazis and what must have gone through their minds as they assisted in the treatment and killing of the prisoners—surely some of them had to have felt totally lost as to what to do. They had to have dealt with immense amounts of guilt as they inflicted the pain on those poor people.
Lastly, I think of the soldiers who fought for the liberty of so many people. I remember watching Saving Private Ryan and seeing the immense courage the soldiers had to face bullets literally coming straight at their heads. Oh, how that must have been terrifying. They were not ordinary men, even if they were just like any other ordinary kid on the street. Those men had heart and impeccable courage.
I meant to write about an experience I had a few weeks ago when we went to Cambridge, but somehow never did. We stopped at a memorial for American soldiers who were stationed in Britain during WWII and died in the fighting, especially pilots who flew over the Channel to fight over France. It was a moving cemetery, with all the white crosses marking their graves, as well as a chapel dedicated to them, a wall with all their names on it, and an American flag. I felt quite a bit of reverence as I walked along the wall and into the chapel, but the really powerful experience came for me when I stepped onto the grass and among the graves of those soldiers. I could feel them. I have, on few occasions, held anyone in such high regard. And certainly not anyone my own age. Those men died so that so many others could live. I could feel the honor they felt in having fought for that freedom; the sadness they felt for what was happening in the world at the time; the happiness that we still honored what they and others did for the world. Who knows what would have happened if they had not done what they did. They saved thousands, millions. I thank my Heavenly Father for their sacrifice.
And now the causes:
WWI:
1879 – The Dual Alliance – Germany and Austria-Hungary form an alliance to protect themselves from Russia.
1881 – The Austro-Serbian Alliance – Austria-Hungary makes an alliance with Serbia to prevent Russia from taking over Serbia
1882 – The Triple Alliance – Germany and Austria-Hungary make an alliance with Italy to stop Italy from taking sides with Russia.
1894 – Russia forms an alliance with France to protect itself from Germany and Austria-Hungary.
1904 – Entente Cordiale – Agreement, not formal alliance between France and England, stating that they would thenceforth co-exist peacefully, unlike the past....forever.
1907 – Anglo-Russian Entente – This was basically an earlier version of the Cold War, but between the two, though they hadn't had any real conflicts. But it was an unspoken rivalry they knew would eventually boil over into a real conflict, so they thought they would stop the conflict before it happened.
1914 – Triple Entente – England, France, and Russia all agreed not to sign for peace separately. This basically formed an alliance that would counter Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. Other countries influenced this agreement, including the US.
And then Serbian revolutionary Gavrilo Princip assassinated Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in August, 1914. And all hell broke loose. Essentially, the gun had been loaded for years, but the trigger simply needed to be pulled, which this assassination did. It was simply a huge blame game once the trigger was pulled on Ferdinand and wife, and people needed an excuse to get involved. And then all of Europe is at war. Bad news bears, I tell you.
World War II:
After the ending treaties of World War I, Germany was in a pretty sorry state. Before the war, there were 4.7 Francks to the dollar; at the end there were about 4.7 trillion Francks to the dollar. They were in dire need of a leader who could pull them out of the abyss in which they found themselves. And along came Hitler, a blastedly charismatic and idealistic man who presented a stance so convincingly that he got much of the country rallying behind him. Setting up a fascist dictatorship, Hitler created a country where he ruled with an iron fist and he simply got his way. Starting in 1933, he started building up the army and weaponry, as well as made military service compulsory.
In 1936, Hitler's troops invaded Prussia. Hitler also made two important alliances that year: the Rome Berlin Axis Pact, which allied Italy to Germany, as well as the Anti-Comitern Pact, allying Japan to Germany.
In 1938, Germany started reclaiming lands lost from the results of World War I, starting with Austria. In a vote forced on the country, 99% of the people said they wanted to be part of Germany. Hitler promised this would be the end of his expansion, but within six months, he was back on the move, taking back the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia.
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain of Britain met with Hitler, drawing up the Munich Agreement, stating that Hitler would stop there or risk war. Hitler again broke his word in March, 1939 and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia. France and England knew they could not stand idly by, so they agreed that if Hitler invaded Poland, they would intervene. And that he did, in August of 1939.
And all hell broke loose again, involving country after country.
And the last part of the assignment is to write down all the choral pieces I know that are about war. They're not many, but here goes:
War Requiem, by Benjamin Britten
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Yankee Doodle
Un Soir de Neige – Poulenc
Star Spangled Banner
Dona Nobis Pacem – Vaughan Williams
Onward Christian Soldiers
Flander's Fields - Aitken
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, June 2
Tuesday, June 2
Great day again! I love it when those happen in succession!
We started off the day with a workshop by Paul Spicer, the conductor of the Finzi Singers, which is a professional choir here. A fantastic one at that. He taught a lot about directing technique (not conducting) and how to teach singing, as well as some of his personal teaching methods. It was super interesting. So that was the first session. The second was about the Finzi Singers, which was totally awesome, because we got to hear recordings of a whole lot of their stuff. Then lunch. Third session was about music and spirituality. It was super hard to stay awake because it was right after lunch, it was mighty warm in the chapel, he was largely reading his presentation, and honestly, a whole lot of it was over my head. So I didn't do so well on the whole staying awake thing during that session. After that, I took a nap, so I could be awake for the fourth session, which was about George Dysis and Herbert Howells, which I liked quite a bit. He read most of it, which I didn't particularly enjoy, but it had some good stuff (Spicer wrote biographies on the two men.).
Anyway, I really liked the day in class, though it was a little long (till 4:30). I really liked him, and I was actually thinking about how much I've liked so many Britons. They are just so wonderfully open, warm and frienly. I really enjoy them because they are simply so pleasant! I think they have maintained a real faith in humanity, whereas we Americans have lost much of our faith in the natural goodness of people.
I was talking about this with Chris and he pointed out how British people on the whole are not a terribly competitive people. He used the choral society to illustrate this. Here, there are levels for every skill set of choral singing, so you simply find where you fit in, and sing there. But I've never heard of anyone moving up on the ladder of choral singing. They only stay about where they are. In the US, we hear about people advancing all the time, because it is built into our systems to advance and to be a bit cut-throat. Because of that, we come to distrust people in general, because we are convinced they are out to get us in some way or other. However, British people instinctively trust people, and it shows through the way they treat total strangers; they are kind, gentle, warm, and cordial. It's just a blasted pleasure to talk with them. Anyway, enough on that.
After class, I went to wait in line to get tickets for a play called “London Assurance.” Scott, Michelle, and I ended up getting in, but we paid a pretty penny for the tickets—44 lbs. But frankly, it was worth it. It was some of the best comedic theatre I've ever seen. Just fantastic stuff. It reminded me quite a bit of “The Importance of Being Ernest,” but with more deceit, more clever writing, more puns, and more farce. So basically, a glorified version of “Ernest.” It was absolutely hysterical. It certainly kept our minds racing the entire time, just trying to keep up with their lines and puns. It was great fun. And we actually saw some pretty famous film actors in it too! Aunt Petunia, from Harry Potter, as well as the main servant in A Knight's Tale. Pretty cool stuff.
And then on home! Great day.
Great day again! I love it when those happen in succession!
We started off the day with a workshop by Paul Spicer, the conductor of the Finzi Singers, which is a professional choir here. A fantastic one at that. He taught a lot about directing technique (not conducting) and how to teach singing, as well as some of his personal teaching methods. It was super interesting. So that was the first session. The second was about the Finzi Singers, which was totally awesome, because we got to hear recordings of a whole lot of their stuff. Then lunch. Third session was about music and spirituality. It was super hard to stay awake because it was right after lunch, it was mighty warm in the chapel, he was largely reading his presentation, and honestly, a whole lot of it was over my head. So I didn't do so well on the whole staying awake thing during that session. After that, I took a nap, so I could be awake for the fourth session, which was about George Dysis and Herbert Howells, which I liked quite a bit. He read most of it, which I didn't particularly enjoy, but it had some good stuff (Spicer wrote biographies on the two men.).
Anyway, I really liked the day in class, though it was a little long (till 4:30). I really liked him, and I was actually thinking about how much I've liked so many Britons. They are just so wonderfully open, warm and frienly. I really enjoy them because they are simply so pleasant! I think they have maintained a real faith in humanity, whereas we Americans have lost much of our faith in the natural goodness of people.
I was talking about this with Chris and he pointed out how British people on the whole are not a terribly competitive people. He used the choral society to illustrate this. Here, there are levels for every skill set of choral singing, so you simply find where you fit in, and sing there. But I've never heard of anyone moving up on the ladder of choral singing. They only stay about where they are. In the US, we hear about people advancing all the time, because it is built into our systems to advance and to be a bit cut-throat. Because of that, we come to distrust people in general, because we are convinced they are out to get us in some way or other. However, British people instinctively trust people, and it shows through the way they treat total strangers; they are kind, gentle, warm, and cordial. It's just a blasted pleasure to talk with them. Anyway, enough on that.
After class, I went to wait in line to get tickets for a play called “London Assurance.” Scott, Michelle, and I ended up getting in, but we paid a pretty penny for the tickets—44 lbs. But frankly, it was worth it. It was some of the best comedic theatre I've ever seen. Just fantastic stuff. It reminded me quite a bit of “The Importance of Being Ernest,” but with more deceit, more clever writing, more puns, and more farce. So basically, a glorified version of “Ernest.” It was absolutely hysterical. It certainly kept our minds racing the entire time, just trying to keep up with their lines and puns. It was great fun. And we actually saw some pretty famous film actors in it too! Aunt Petunia, from Harry Potter, as well as the main servant in A Knight's Tale. Pretty cool stuff.
And then on home! Great day.
Monday, June 1st
Monday, June 1st
Rather enjoyable day today!
Yesterday I met some Brasilians at church and they invited me over to their hourse for a churrasco (Brasilian barbecue. I just realized I wrote about this yesterday. Oops.). After a chill morning of planning the rest of my time here, I took off to the area where we would have the churrasco. It was out in the Wimbledon area, which is absolutely GORGEOUS. It reminded me a whole lot of Indian Hill, actually, for all y'all Cincinnatians out there. For those not from Cincinnati, it was heavily forested and had large, luscious homes. It was such a fantastic place. It was a bit removed from the city and felt like a legitimate suburb. It was SO incredibly green and gorgeous. I loved it. It was a bit of a culture shock for me. On one hand, I was in London, doing the whole England thing; but on the other, I was hanging out with Brasilians, doing Brasilian things, like churrascando and speaking Portuguese. It was pretty funny.
Anyway, it was really fun to be with Brasilians, as always. They're such a good time. I even love just talking with them. They're so warm and welcoming. I am so happy I got to know that culture on my mission. They will forever bless my life through their example.
After the churrasco, I headed over to meet friends Emilie, Haley, and Chris to see “Legally Blonde, the Musical.” It was SO much fun! A bit irreverent at times, but it was just a blast overall. The stage totally exploded with energy any time they opened their mouths! And absolute blast. I loved it! I mean, it's not my favorite musical, and I probably don't need to see it again, but I still liked it quite a bit. The first act was a lot of light-heartedness and I actually was starting to get a little tired of it, but the second act got some more grounding and the show totally worked. And I laughed my pants off. It was ridiculous. We had a really good time.
Fun day.
Rather enjoyable day today!
Yesterday I met some Brasilians at church and they invited me over to their hourse for a churrasco (Brasilian barbecue. I just realized I wrote about this yesterday. Oops.). After a chill morning of planning the rest of my time here, I took off to the area where we would have the churrasco. It was out in the Wimbledon area, which is absolutely GORGEOUS. It reminded me a whole lot of Indian Hill, actually, for all y'all Cincinnatians out there. For those not from Cincinnati, it was heavily forested and had large, luscious homes. It was such a fantastic place. It was a bit removed from the city and felt like a legitimate suburb. It was SO incredibly green and gorgeous. I loved it. It was a bit of a culture shock for me. On one hand, I was in London, doing the whole England thing; but on the other, I was hanging out with Brasilians, doing Brasilian things, like churrascando and speaking Portuguese. It was pretty funny.
Anyway, it was really fun to be with Brasilians, as always. They're such a good time. I even love just talking with them. They're so warm and welcoming. I am so happy I got to know that culture on my mission. They will forever bless my life through their example.
After the churrasco, I headed over to meet friends Emilie, Haley, and Chris to see “Legally Blonde, the Musical.” It was SO much fun! A bit irreverent at times, but it was just a blast overall. The stage totally exploded with energy any time they opened their mouths! And absolute blast. I loved it! I mean, it's not my favorite musical, and I probably don't need to see it again, but I still liked it quite a bit. The first act was a lot of light-heartedness and I actually was starting to get a little tired of it, but the second act got some more grounding and the show totally worked. And I laughed my pants off. It was ridiculous. We had a really good time.
Fun day.
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