Some worthwhile stuff going on, I think

Pretty interesting to be plowing my way through this iteration of the GT, worried that I'm forgetting something but basically having some of the routines down. Then something weird comes up as it always does. I'm writing this on the eve of our Oxford field trip, after having successfully crammed in their first-week writing exercise in class, our Globe Theater expedition to see a wackily musical modern-dress postracial genderbending performance of Twelfth Night, and a walk back to the St Pauls tube station.  The weather has heated up, and my room is again a furnace despite my re-installation of cardboard wedges propping open various doors.  It's right at the edge of what I can stand, actually, but I'll just keep taking showers and hoping for a break.

Thought I'd thrown in a couple of funny shots from the past few days.  For some reason the sight of a £300,000 Ferrari in downtown London just epitomizes the craziness of this megalopolis.  Is there a stupider way to spend (and risk) your money?  Dunno.  Of course one of things that I'm noticing around here is that, along with the cigarette smoke that still clings to the gargoyles who hang around just outside buildings, and the clouds emanating from the vape-ers as they ply their trade, there's enough dope being smoked in the nearby parks, mostly by construction workers on their breaks, that you can get a contact high just by walking through Brunswick Square between our dorm and the classroom at the School of Pharmacy.  One wonders what impact this has on the productivity of this cohort of workers...

For some reason I was stoked to see how game these kids were with navigating the Tube on their second day here--this was on Monday after we went to see Wicked, the show tickets arranged for us by our London vendor.  This shot is blurred because I was walking backward, but it somehow captures some good energy.

Dana-the-onsite-coordinator took this one yesterday I think--they are taking responsibility for arranging their own outings, and they are apparently honoring my exhortation to avoid letting cliques or in-group-out-group distinctions poison the collective vibe.

The production at the Globe was a great example of good attitude: I hadn't experienced being a groundling in a long time, but since I hadn't been able to splurge on seats for everyone, I had to count on a handful of folks being willing to join me in the courtyard.  It was wonderful to be so close to the actors, the music was a trip, and even with some loss of subtlety on the wordplay aspect...  The students that I talked to were blown away and surprised at how much fun they had at a Shakespeare play--let's hope the trip to Oxford goes as well.