All the weird and unexplained seems to happen to me on route to or from my voice lessons... there must be something about the air around there. Anyway, it was pouring down rain by the time the hour and a half lesson was up, and so I called a car to come pick me up and take me to the train station. The van pulls up, and I get into the back seat only to realize that I have only got 1 pound on me! No credit card, no debit, nothing. So, of course immediately I say to the man, "I'm so sorry, I'm going to Catford Bridge Train Station, but I've only got a pound, so you only need to take me as far as the pound will go. He starts laughing at me in disbelief. "Are you serious? I can take you to the stop sign with a pound! But what can I do with a pound? Maybe get a soda if its a cheap place? Are you joking with me? Do you have a hidden camera that you're gonna pull out to get my reaction?" This was all in jest, he wasn't really upset with me, but he really could not believe that I was indeed not pulling a prank on him. Finally after a few more apologies and my insistence that he only drive me as far as a pound would go, he smiled and said, "no, I'll take you this once." He proceeded to tell me he was a musician and that driving a car was just the job to pay the bills. So I told him I was a musician, too and he FREAKED OUT. He got so excited I thought he was gonna pop a bloodvessel. He asked me what I played and where I was from and if I was studying here. Then he told me all about the duo he was part of with his sister who sang. He played the demo for me. The girls voice was sooo rich and low, I thought it was a guy. But she just had one of those voices. It was so cool t listen to and to listen to his passion. He was sure that they were going to make it big. He told me that there was a reason why we met today, and he gave me his email, and address and told me to email him and no matter where I was in the world I would hear from him about his progress as a musician. "If I inspired you today I hope you follow that inspiration. You inspired me." He took my pound and said he was going to put it into the lottery. He said he puts a pound in a week, and he said mine might win him a million dollars. It was such a cool exchange.
Yesterday was a long day... I had class and then I met Brooke and Linda at the travel agency (we booked our trip to Paris in April!) and I grabbed a ready made sandwich at my favorite Mark's and Spencer.. which I realized afterward was my first time there since the second day I got to London. We then went to the Natural History Museum that was a little bit outdated, but was under a lot of reconstruction (probably again for the Olympics.) The dinosaur exhibit was cool, there was a giant live T-Rex at the end that moved its head and growled at you. I was scared enough as an adult, I woulda peed myself as a kid.
There was also a human exhibit that went through information about body and mind. Let's just say that the Europeans are much more open, and there was a lot in that exhibit that would have embarrassed the public in any American museum.
We went to dinner in Chinatown. It was a buffet and it was bad food and terrible service. There are only like two permanent buffets in Chinatown, so just don't eat at them if you come to London!
We had a play last night called "Disconnect" that took place in India and was about a debt collecting company. The workers pretended that they were Americans living in the U.S. and calling from nearby to collect debts, when really they were leading a double life. It was actually REALLY good. My favorite thus far. BUT...
during the most intense scene, one of the actors who was an older gentleman just walks offstage while the other actor is in the middle of his monologue and we see him bent over and he is speaking in a British accent (he had had an Indian accent the whole time.) Then all of the sudden the stage manager comes on and says they need to stop the show. Of COURSE everyone starts chirping to each other about what happened, and then 5 minutes later the house manager comes out and says that an actor wasn't feeling well but that they were going to start the show up again. The scene started over, but the mood was killed. The poor actor looked terrible, I felt so awful for him. He finished his scene and then was gone, he didn't come back for the bows or anything. I know that if the situation had been critical, they would have stopped the show completely, but it was still worrying. Props to that guy for being so darn professional... as an actor you know.. the show must always go on. WAY TO GO DUDE!
Anyway, most of my roommates are gone for the weekend, so I have the flat to myself for the first night! YAY. So... probably time for some icecream and a book.
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