File #11: Night at the Museum

Hi-ho readers,

Museums are really the place to be in London, and I’ve been finding that out in class and on my own. On Monday my women’s studies professor took us to the Victoria and Albert (V&A) just because, justifying it by saying “the museum is a place full of beautiful objects.” And it is — I think it’s my favorite museum I’ve been to thus far. I could have spent hours more inside and I plan to because I live across the street!

I didn’t have class on Tuesday so I only left the apartment to get groceries (my arms are becoming super strong) but on Wednesday I made up for it by going to the Imperial College activities fair (disappointing, had nothing on Wheaton) and the Museum Late at the Science Museum, which was a lot of fun. Made more fun by the fact that they sold me cider. We went to a comedy/game show in their IMAX theatre and they had all their exhibits open and all sorts of things going on. On Thursday I went out to the pub (which was hopping for a Thursday?) and on Friday I had the whole day to myself so I took a looooong walk. It was supposed to be casual stroll but I ended up walking seven miles. I walked from the apartment to Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens, sat by the Princess Diana fountain, walked past some terrifying birds and the Orangery, walked through Notting Hill, then down to High Street Kensington. Then I took the CORRECT BUS HOME, which was really a milestone.

Then my friend Jillian and I went to the Late at the V&A which was great because it let me explore a little more of the museum. After, we went to the Imperial College Union bar with some of her friends (which is actually THREE BARS). They were playing weird YouTube videos on the walls, and I saw a guy vomit into his pint. Other than that, I had a jolly time and wobbled my way home pretty late. Then yesterday I went to Stonehenge on a trip with the school. I don’t know what I was expecting. It was awesome, but somehow smaller than I thought? It was very cold and windy and everyone had tears coming out of their eyes and snot going everywhere. The gift shop sold a lot of weird things included Stonehenge themed alcohol. Which I have come to expect from a lot of places. Then we went to Winchester, a city with Roman and medieval history. We went to a pub and walked along the river and through a street market and went into the Great Hall to learn about some of the medieval history. It was a good day and I also liked riding on the coach bus through the countryside listening to Elliot Smith because it reminded me of traveling in high school.

Anyway, here’s:
Things I Read and Liked This Week
Hyperallergic’s “Will Paint Chickens for Eggs”
The Toast’s “All the Feelings It Is Possible to Feel, Indexed”
Mental Floss’ “Why Are Penguins So Good at Walking on Ice?”
The Atlantic’s “In Cuba, Maps Make a Comeback”
Buzzfeed’s “The Whiteness of ‘Public Radio Voice’” (I heard this on the radio but it’s still a good read)
Saved by the Bell hooks. Need I say more?

That’s all from me this week!
Emily