Blimy!--Day 48

I've been in London almost seven weeks, and I had never heard anyone say, "Blimy!" until today. Let me tell you, it was quite thrilling. Our professor was, of course, being sarcastic because I'm pretty sure the British invented sarcasm, and then he said, "Blimy!" It pretty much made my day (or so I thought...read on, gentle reader). The class itself was really interesting because we talked about Jack the Ripper and what his legend means as far as class, gender, and culture go (that is, examining the tensions between East Londoners and West Londoners, male and female antagonisms, and the role of the media in blowing the story way out of proportion and sensationalizing its events). There are some pretty intriguing conspiracy theories surrounding Jack the Ripper, one of which involves the Free Masons (they turn up everywhere, don't they?), but I'll leave you to explore those on your own. In addition, many movies have been made about Jack the Ripper, including one where the fictional Sherlock Holmes teams up with Sigmund Freud to ferret out the murderer. I would be interested to see how that one plays out. Sherlock Holmes has interesting ties to the cultural aura of Jack the Ripper because the first book came out about one year after the murders. Did you know that in the stories, Sherlock Holmes is a terrible opium addict who relies on Watson for spiritual guidance and rescue when temptation becomes too much for him? We always think of Sherlock Holmes as this brilliant, proper Englishman. Well, mental brilliance and neurosis often go hand-in-hand, as we know from many cases of artists and musicians who were headcases. Next week we are studying the Kray twins, which will be another interesting look at the darker side of London (the gangster side, this time). I'm quite looking forward to it. These are some pretty good pre-Halloween stories, if you know what I mean!

In other news, I woke up to a gloriously sunny and crisp morning. I may have said this before, but when London is sunny, it is one of the most enchanting and sublime experiences in this world. It makes me want to sing. I will admit that sunny days generally produce such a disposition in me, but the effect is amplified in London if only for the reason that they are so few and far between. However, I should not complain because we have actually had really great weather during our time here. Even Londoners have said so.

I really wish I could record some of the conversations that I have with British people because they are too funny sometimes. British people are extremely delightful, and they never cease to enthrall me with their wonderful sense of humor, quaint turns-of-phrase, and impeccable knack for telling a good story. They may be a little reserved, but under that reserve is usually a great character waiting to be discovered. Yesterday at tea, I had a lovely conversation with Mary Hall about museums because she asked me what I had been up to, and the first thing that came into my mind was all of the art galleries and museums that I have been visiting lately. She gave me two great recommendations: the Wallace Collection (like a scaled-down version of the V&A) and the Soane Museum, which is a Victorian house that has a range of different exhibitions throughout the year (for example, right now there is an exhibit about international architecture with plaster models of building styles from a variety of countries--at least that's what the website tells me). The museum's goal in general appears to be educating the public about architecture. Luckily, both are free, so I will have to check them out the next time I have a few hours to spare (maybe Thursday).

I signed up today to go to Dr. Kivisto's house on Halloween for a light supper and socializing. Of course, all of my friends are trying to land the same day so we can all go together and have a good time. Since there are 45 of us in total, Dr. Kivisto broke the dinner into three groups on three different nights. Halloween seemed to work best for my friends and me (I've affectionately termed us the "Geek Squad" after Haley labeled us as "a group of geeks"). It is so nice of Dr. Kivisto to open his flat to us and to feed us, especially since we are all pretty strapped for cash. It will be fun to relax for an evening. It's not that I feel all that stressed, it's just that I feel like I am always doing something and that I hardly ever get the chance to just chill with my friends. I see them a lot, but it's not usually all of us at once anymore like it used to be at the start of the trip. We all have different schedules, and when we do see each other, it's a planned trip or activity (like Stonehenge), which is somehow different than just getting together for a meal and chatting.

Today was very exciting because I received a letter in the mail from two very special people! It was one of the sweetest letters I have ever read, and I'm very tempted to keep it forever! I just had to take a few pictures because it was just too precious for words! Thank you for making my day just that much more wonderful!

It's so exciting! I think this is what really made my day.

Awww...too cute. :)

I absolutely loved the paper that the letter wasn't written on--it's so beautiful!

Tomorrow is looking like another low-adventure day (maybe I shouldn't say that: my blog is all about adventures, and I guess every day is an adventure when you're in London). I'm probably going to use the morning hours for some much-needed work on my Art History paper, and then I have History of London in the afternoon. I am looking forward to more student presentations (especially since mine is already done, and I can just sit back and enjoy my classmates' work without feeling nervous!). No pictures from yesterday's tea yet, but stay tuned. I'm sure they will be up soon! Maybe I should go knock on Haley's door and tell her to get on that...