The last several days...

I went to the Globe Theatre and saw King Henry IV. I was part of the "groundlings" meaning I stood at the stage. It was amazing even though the performance was 2 1/2 hours long. The atmosphere at the Globe made the performance. The actors were perfect and the play itself was hilarious. I really did not expect to enjoy it so much. After the show, I went to Tate Modern. Now that was also an experience. it was hard to consider a lot of what was there as Art, much of it was disturbing. Walking along the Thames, there is so much to see; the London Eye, The Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Parliment and Big Ben, even a bootleg Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Jeff had a few people from the Orlando DCL office that were staying with us for the weekend and so we took them to dinner at a Thia restaurant. Mark and Barda were a lot of fun and I gave them a few pointers about London sightseeing. I walked them to the tube station the next day and started packing for Canterbury!

I was looking forward to Canterbury. We rode up to Canterbury with Roddy and Laura, good friends of Jeff's from softball. Laura is from Tennessee and is hilarious and Roddy is Scottish and also fun to be around. It took about 2 hours to get to Canterbury, mainly because of traffic. The tournament was at Kent University so we each had our own dorm room. They were tiny but nice. There was a big get together Friday night where I got to meet a lot of Jeff's friends. The tournament started the next morning and I was playing for the Stealthy Seawolves. (I added the stealthy) I played on different fields than Jeff so it was about a 10 minute wa in between the 2 sets of fields. (the 10 minutes will be important later in the story) It was a lot of fun getting to know everyone on the team. I had met Caroline the weekend before when she asked me to play with her team so I had not met the others yet. We played really well and it was a beautiful day. I was running to first after my first hit and I pulled the muscle in my left quad. No problem, I just run it off and stretch a little more. As the day progressed, it got worse. 5 games later, I was walking like I was 92. This is where the 10 minute walk comes into play. I went to see the physio specialist and, of course, her tent was setup right by Jeff's field. He came right over and took a picture to email to Jamie and mom and dad. I had pulled the muscle and she told me to not stretch or sit for prolonged periods and to rest it as much as possible. Luckily we were done for the day. Needless to say, I was unable to play the next day.

I have many more stories that I can fill you in on including musical chairs, getting lost in the woods, and a phone booth but for time sake, I will move on. Sunday, I was the Seawolves scorekeeper. I was also given Caroline's megaphone so I like to think I was the team's encouraged too. I like to give them, phrases like "unleash hell!" After the tournament ended we went to the pavilion to watch England's final world cup match and then headed back to London. Thus endeth the Canterbury Tales.

Abbey Road

Yesterday Jeff and I were invited to watch the England World Cup game at Abbey Road Studios! Karin works there and is on Jeff's softball team. I had no idea my brother was so connected to the music industry! When we arrived, Karin signed us in and took us to her office real quick so I can drop off my purse. As we went up the stairs to her office there were signed Beatle albums lining the walls! She started to take us on a tour. As we walk the halls, or as they call them corridors, the movie posters of the films that have been scored there are hanging everywhere. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc...The futbol match (learned quickly not to call it soccer) was in Studio 1 on a massive movie screen. Studio 1 is the "orchestra studio" for the films and is huge. The sound room has the biggest mixer I have ever seen, at least 8 feet long. Karin then took us into Studio 2, a much older studio. Studio 2 is where the Beatles recorded all of their albums! It was at this point I whispered to Jeff, get out your camera! Mine of course was in my purse in Karin's office or our trip to Abbey Road would have been much more documented :). Jeff was very composed throughout the tour and I was holding it together quite impressively, I think ;)!! After the tour we headed back to Studio 1 for the game. England played great this game and beat Slovenia 1 nil (which means zero). Needless to say the studio got very loud after the goal, they even blew those horn things. It was an awesome atmosphere. On our way out we took pictures in the front of the studios and Jeff took 1 of me crossing the Abbey Road crosswalk like the Beatles!! We had such a great time, it will be tough for my other England futbol matches to compare!!

Jacket and beans...

My fingers are about the only thing that is not currently sore! I spent the weekend playing in a softball tournament with Jeff. He is rediiculously good and it has been 9 years or so since I was an average softball player. This tournament was here in London on a field normally used for Cricket. Canterberry is next weekend and it is the best tourney of the year with the most drinking too! The gang asked me what I like and I said the Pina Colada! There are a few that have made it their mission to have me try a few other beverages...Don't knock the Colada!! I'm pretty sure I butchered the spelling there.

I was rusty to say the least but eventually I got my legs under me. Trust me, I feel them now! So about the jacket and beans. For lunch yesterday I wanted a baked potato and so I ordered it. I was with Vicki and she got a potato too. So the server asked me what 2 sides I wanted on my potato (also known as a jacket potato). I asked for cheese and sour cream. No sour cream only cheese, tuna, or baked beans! Vicki ordered tuna and cheese on hers and recommended beans and cheese on mine!! What! So...I tried it and guess what...It was weird! so of course she had to tell everyone the story when we get back to the game and everyone was like, jacket and beans is brilliant!
All in all it was a good weekend but I was happy when we got knocked out. I cannot remember the last time I was this sore. Great people, though and definitely worth it. They pretty much play every weekend in the summer. I don't know if I can keep up!

Wimbledon starts this week so I think I am going to go Tuesday or Wednesday! I will keep you posted.

Ello everybody! I am writing this on an iPad so it Is really touchy and takes getting used to. This is about my 5th attempt but I think I am getting the hang of it. Soooooo...London!!

I am getting my bearings and have a pretty good feel of how to get around. My first afternoon, Jeff took the day off and we went to the mall. He got me a pre-paid cell phone so if I get lost, I can call him. He has no confidence in my navigational skills, he always was smart! Yesterday I went to the National Gallery. I was able to see paintings by Da Vinci, Monat, and Van Gogh among loads of others. After a while, they all start to look the same and I had a major headache at the end, imagery overload. across from the NG, is St. Martin's Church. Underneath St. Martin's is the Crypt, a wonderful lunch spot. There I met a lady from NC, Janie. She is about my mom's age and is studying abroad for the summer. We ended up spending the afternoon comparing our sight seeing plans and went to the Naltional Portrait Gallery together.

Jeff had a softball game that night so I headed back to his flat. I met Steve and Vicki, Jeff's softball friends, and they drove us to the game. I love these two! First of all they are super easy to be around, have amazing accents, and love to give Jeff a hard time. Steve is from Nottingham and Vicki is from the Cotswolds. Vicki says that Nottingham is known more for its stabbings than skills with the bow and arrows but Steve says it is lovely. I am inclined to believe Steve b/c I love Robin Hood but am not planning a trip there without Russell Crowe and a knife!

Today it is a little chilly and rainy so I am spending the day reading Harry Potter and catching up on email while watching the US in the World Cup. I went to the grocery store this morning and you have to bring your own bags for your groceries. Luckily I had the bag Dee gave to me and had to buy 1 bag extra. You have to remember that whatever you buy, you have to get it back to the flat. Didn't really enjoy carrying 2 six packs of Diet Coke and all of my groceries too! Everything is an experience here. Even walking in the neighborhoods is
surreal. All of the flats made of brick and are connected and have a very small lawn with flowers. Basically Notting Hill without Hugh Grant...yet.