It was 3 full days.  Mostly of walking.  I don't want to bore you with all the mundane details, so here are the highlights:

Day 1: 20 miles in 8 hours
Day 2: 22.7 miles in 9 hours
Day 3: 17.3 miles in too many hours (8.5)

Miles I completed?  ALL OF THEM!!!! Suck it.

My feet have to identical blisters right on the balls.  My calves are one big knot.

It was COLD at night.  The second night, I slept in sweatpants, a long sleeved shirt and sweat shirt, sock, a shirt on my head as a hat and socks on my hands.

There were so many people who followed the route each day to cheer us on.  The group of huge biker guys on their motorcycles that wore pink bras on their heads and offered free hugs during the last 2 miles to the capitol were my fave.  People had lots of candy, snacks, Popsicles, water, sprinklers, hand sanitizer, deodorant, etc. along the way to help us to the next mile.  The generosity and kindness of people was overwhelming and amazing.

My tent-mate and I won for the best decorated tent.  We got a ribbon and a button.

There were over 2500 people participating.  We raised 6.1 million dollars.

It was such an amazing experience. Even though I'm paying for it today, it was SO worth it!

Photos will be on The Breast Yet website sometime this week.

Monster opened, closed, was celebrated and enjoyed.

Marisol goes into rehearsals in two weeks.

I'm curating a play reading series for Pro Rata that will happen on the first two Wednesdays of the Marisol run.

I need to get my Latin American Mystical Catholicism research done.  And my Faust research (because that show will creep up on me faster than I realize).

Nose, meet Grindstone.

I finally finished the Lacy Skirt with Bows!  And I'm wearing it today!

Whee!

Mine is green with brown ribbon.

While I haven't started Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (it's on the bottom of my reading pile), I will have to finish it before this is published!!

I bought a whole bunch of yarn yesterday to make two of these.  One will be a Christmas present for my grandma.  The other will be raffled off by my mom's Relay for Life team.

I still need to find a shawl pattern for my orange/copper/metallic yarn.  I have 550 yds.  I would like something geometric.  Ideas?

I still need to hit up DoF to look for ribbon yarn for my lacy skirt with bows.  Pictures coming soon.  I promise.  As soon as I can convince Justin to take them.

Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you. (Please note: If you simply wish to comment on something I've said but don't want to participate in the meme, that is fine. I will only give you five words if you specifically comment with "Words!")

duchess_of_pie  words:

1. cupcakes
I makes 'em.  I eats 'em.  Sometimes I sticks the bottoms on the tops and has a cupcake sandwich.  I have vowed never to make cupcakes from a box mix ever again.  You can taste the difference.

2. london
I love London.  I hope to live there someday.  The culture is pervasive and addicting and inviting.  I love pubs and sights and trains and bridges.  London is my boyfriend.

3. breasts
Are good.  Mine fluctuate between a B cup and a C cup depending on the time of month.  I whip them out far more than I should.  Or maybe far less than I should.  Who's to say?

4. monster
Is giving me stress hives.  Is a play I've wanted to direct for 5 years.  Is scary and fun and awesome.

5. insomnia
Usually happens when I have so much going on that I don't have time for sleep.  And by so much going on, I mean wanting to stay up late and drink/eat/hang out/watch movies/knit for more than a night or two.

7/30  
7:00pm
Theatre Pro Rata: MONSTER
The Southern
(I'm pretty sure Justin's going to be my date.  But you should come, too.  Yes, you.)

7/31
7:00pm
3 Sticks- THE TRAVELING MUSICIANS
Nomad

8/1
2:30pm
Sandbox- JUNE OF ARC
U of M X

4:00pm
Allegra J. Lingo- CRESENDO
U of M Arena

7:00pm
Tedious Brief- BARD FICTION
U of M Thrust

8/2
4:00pm
Opium, Fireworks & Lead- YOUR LITHOPEDIAN
Augsburg Studio

10:00pm
Christina Lein- MARIA
Theatre Garage

8/4
5:30pm
PvS- THE DUMBWAITER
PWC

8/7
7:00pm
Bedlam Theatre- COMEDY OF ERRORS
Bedlam Parking Lot

8/8
4:00pm
Lili's Burlesque- BLUE RIBBON BURLESQUE
U of M Pro

I'm cranked that a couple of shows I want to see are at the Gremlin, which is a pain to get to via bus from my house... grumblegrumblegrumble

We just got the call!  Monster is in the Fringe!

Time to celebrate before promptly putting my nose back to the grindstone.

I've decided I want to get Salvador Dali's Alice in Wonderland as a tattoo.  Now, where to stick it?

If you come to my 3-Day fundraiser, you could win this:



Monday, June 1st
The Theatre Garage (711 W. Franklin Ave, MPLS)
6pm - Silent Auction
7pm - The Frogs
$10 suggested donation

IJS.

Wow.  I've been really terrible about posting about the trip.  I've been home a month!

Ok.  Day 8.  A day of tourism.  While planning our trip, CB and I decided that it would be in our best financial interest to buy a big 4 pass to save some cash.  The big 4 gets you into the Aquarium, the Dungeon, Madame Tussaud's and a flight on the Eye.  We somehow thought we needed to do them all in one day.  What we had originally expected to be a day of DOOM turned out to be a really fun-filled day.

We got up early and headed to Baker's Street.  The area is all Sherlock Holmes inspired.  There's a giant statue outside the Tube and tiles with his profile in the Tube.  We waited in queue outside in the rain (the first day it rained the whole trip).  Madame Tussaud's is divided by themed rooms.  The first is the celebrity room.  The wax figures really do look quite like the real people from far away, but up close, you can see all the discoloration from being touched.  It's kind of gross  It was packed!  We moved quickly though that room and the crowd of people lining up to have their pictures taken with Brad & Angelina.  We had more fun in the movie, music and historical figures rooms.  Then we hit Scream!  It's essentially a haunted house type exhibit (where lots of actors jump out at you and make loud noises) that takes you to the part of Madame Tussaud's with the torture vignettes.  I don't do well in those kinds of places.  I'm a really jumpy person ever since 7/7.  Thankfully, Carin let me hang on to her the whole time.  Because I'm a big fat wuss.  The torture stuff was cool and the history of Madame Tussaud is really interesting.

Then it was back to the South Bank to ride the Eye and visit the aquarium.  A flight on the Eye in the rain is not as cool as a flight when it's sunny, which I assume isn't as cool as a night flight.  But fun nonetheless.  Before that trip, I had never been in an aquarium.  What a sheltered life I have.  It was awesome.  Yeah.  Lots of little kids screaming "Nemo" and amazing underwater life!

After that, it was time to eat.  We decided to go over by the Dungeon and find something.  We wound up in this amazing little gastropub, Daveys.  We shared banger & mash and steak and kidney pie plus dessert and lagers!  The host/barkeep was incredibly friendly and the food was delicious!

The Dungeon was what you would expect.  It's kitschy and touristy and not super frightening, but a good time.  If you can get in cheap, I'd recommend it.

Because we had finished our day in record time, we ran over to the Old Operating Theatre Museum, as it was in the neighborhood.  It was totally up CB's alley.  I thought it was kind of interesting, but meh.  There were lots of old speculum and herbs.  Some preserved body parts and the theatre.  The museum is located in the attic of a church.  You have to go up the Spiral Staircase of Death to get there.  It's very much not handicapped accessible.

Because we both love Boots, we hit up one.  It looked like the Boots of the Apocalypse.  The shelves were empty and there was one person working.  Very disappointing.

By that time, we both needed a beer.  Back to the South Bank and Doggett's for pies, pints and tarts (food, not ladies).  Then to the NT for Mrs. Affleck.  The show was good.  It took a while to figure out the world of the play, but once you did, it was very enjoyable.  The actors were solid.  The direction was clear.  The set was amazing.  The first act is in a kitchen/dining room.  Then the whole house goes away in the second act to create a beach-front cafe.  I would be very interested to read the source material for the show.  Finally, a really good show!

Then back to the hostel and to bed.

Day 9.

Our last full day in London.

First, we went to the V & A.  It's by far my favorite museum in the city.  The exhibits are well laid out.  The architecture of the exhibit is built into the museum itself.  They have a wide array of collections.  They have a cute little cafe with yummy little snacks.  And there's a performance wing!

Then, Carin indulged my desire to check out my old stomping grounds.  While a lot remains the same, a lot have changed in 4 years.  We bought lots of candy to bring home and headed to the pub where I spent many, many nights- The Champion.  It's an adorable pub run by a feisty lady.  You can tell it's run by a woman by the decorating.  The food is delicious (fish & chips and I can't he had no idea you could knit with bamboo yarn and how he wants to quit his job.  It was entertaining.

We hopped the Tube and stopped by Trafalgar Square to complete another item off The List before going to Covent Garden before the show.  we had a pint and a snack at the Prince of Wales and headed over to the theatre to see War Horse.

OH MY GOD!  This show was amazing!  It's one of the best pieces of theatre I've seen in my life.  The story is simple; a boy and his horse.  They both end up going off to war.  They have a journey to find each other.  They find each other.  The end.  It was the storytelling that was so mesmerizing.  The horses are all puppets manned by 3 puppeteers.  The puppeteering is so successful that you can't distinguish between a puppet and a real horse.  And they can be ridden.  Seriously!  There was live music and puppets and video and wow!  Everyone in the audience cried at the end.  This show created one perfect moment where everyone in the room was feeling exactly the same thing.  It was uniting and cathartic.  It was a powerful show.

Watch for yourselves!





On our way home, we noticed that the pub in our neighborhood was on fire.  As we were standing outside the building, someone else noticed and the fire brigade was called.

Then we packed and went to bed early because we need to get up at the crack of dawn.

I just bought this!!!  I thoroughly intend to wear it on WWKIP Day!

Who's with me?

Hosted by: Needlework Unlimited
Location: Public Park at 44th and Beard, Kitty corner from Turtle Bread Company
Time: 10:00am-3:00pm
Date: June 20, 2009

http://www.wwkipday.com/find_kip.htm?kipid=1113

Saturday was a day of awesomeness!!  We were up bright and early to head down to Portobello Rd.  I lived near the start of the Market, so it was very nice to be back on familiar territory.  We hit up Octopus, one of my favorite stores.  Carin bought a very pretty thermos and I bought a fancy cigarette case to carry my cash and cards when a clutch won't hold a wallet.  At the market, CB picked up a very sexy flared trench coat.  We bought bought some cityscape art from Delicate Mayhem and I picked up come Banksy placards for Justin.

Then... it was off to the BEST FISH & CHIPS IN LONDON!  I shit you not.  George's Fish Bar is at the end of the market on Portobello.  Everything is made to order.  The lunch special is ridiculously cheap.  As we were eating our awesome food, a fish market truck came up and delivered more fresh fish.  YUM!

Back to the hostel we went to drop off our booty.  A quick walk later and we were outside I Knit London.  It's a super cute, local yarn shop.  They have a small, but excellent selection.  The staff was super helpful.  And they sell booze.  It was knitter heaven!  We both picked up some skeins Wensleydale Longwool because we had to buy local.  Carin bought some for Camden and I picked up enough for Pioneer.  We (meaning Carin, my sugar momma for the excursion) dropped nearly 100 pounds on this little adventure and it was SO worth it!  I also got some buttons; one of which reads, "I knit for life not just for Christmas".

We popped up to the National and procured cheap seats for Mrs. Affleck and headed to Islington (bleck).  We wanted to grab some grub and a pint before seeing Panic from Improbably Theatre.  I should preface this story by saying that lots of pubs don't serve food on the weekend.  After hitting a couple of brick walls, we walked to the theatre to ask the box office people where the nearest pub that served food was.  We got an answer, some directions and went out searching.  And searching.  And searching.  Nowhere could we find this place.  We found a couple of places in the meantime.  None of which served food.  After a drink and a near hissy-fit, we stumbled upon Barbican Tandoori.  Eating Indian was on The List, so we decided to give up the search and eat.  The food was super delicious!  It was an excellent choice and nearly made up for the wild goose chase we had been on.

I wish I could say the same for the show.  The technical elements were beautiful.  The script and the acting left a lot to be desired. 

As always, we ended the night with kinder eggs and knitting.

***
Sunday, we headed to Hyde Park to check out the Speaker's Corner.  We then deviated from the itinerary and went to Harrods, where I proceeded to drop a ridiculous amount of cash on things for my dog.  We lost track of time.  At 12:30, we realized we needed to be at the Globe for Romeo & Juliet at 1pm.  We busted ass to get on the Tube and get over to the South Bank.  We then got turned around on our way to the theatre and ended up being 20 minutes late.  But because they held the house, it meant we were only 10 minutes late.  I spent some time trying to figure out who was Romeo and who was Juliet.  I finally figured it out, you know, when they started saying their lines.  The ensemble was great.  The staging was very interesting.  The leads were acting REALLY hard.  It was too bad.  I was also very sad that we couldn't bring Mercutio back from the dead.  He was very connected to the text and was a really incredible actor.  And cute.  He was nice to look at.

Because we missed lunch, we were STARVING and needed to get food as soon as the show was over.  We wound up at Dogget's pie house for pies and pints.  Then we headed to Tower Hill and found The Minories for dessert and pints before the Ripper Walk.  Granted, the Ripper Walk wasn't high on my list, but these are the things you do for your friends.  It was fairly interesting.  We ended up at lots of places of interest without much discussion of why they were interesting.  Sometimes we would stop for no reason.  It was a little disjointed for something that should be well-rehearsed. 

But then we got kinder eggs, beer and crisps from the open till late shop and all was well in the world.

***
I should note: I put up most of the travel photos at http://nnovacek.com/london.aspx.  The page takes a long time to load.  Just to warn you.

I finally set up a Ravelry account.

I'm nattienatnat.

Be my friend!

-re-read The Penelopiad and finish proposal
-TRAIN!
-finish The Frogs pronunciation guide
-do the dishes
-wash quilt
-clean the apartment for my mother's arrival on Friday
-fishing WIPs
     -corset
     -nautie
     -Knit So Fine sweater
     -bag for Silent Auction
-TRAIN!
-pimp pornography (theatre, not smut)
-finish The Historian
-re-read Monster
-TRAIN!
-wrap up The Breast Yet Fundraiser (this needs its own To Do list)

Whew!

We slept in until 9am and weren't completely debilitated by jet lag.  First, we hit the Tate Modern to make up for missing it the day previous.  The Tate Modern specializes in two things: really beautiful pieces and things I like to call "not art".  By far, our favorite piece was this by Cornelia Parker.  It was incredible!

Then, we hit up Pret a Manger for lunch.  I love Pret!  I had the most delicious tuna sandwich with cucumbers on a baguette and a tiny lemon cheesecake.  I wish Minneapolis had one.  Sadface.

Next, we took the Tube down to South Kensington to visit the Natural History Museum (which was a-mazing) and the Science Museum (which is not as good as the one here).  Afterward, we desperately searched for a pub.  We found the Hoop & Toy. 

Then, it was back to the Science Museum for a meeting of the London Stitch N Bitch.  These ladies are great!  It was a lot of fun!  Carin was pooped, so we left a little early.  She went to bed and I stayed up and knit for an hour before calling it a night.

All in all, an easy day.  It was nice considering the nightmare the past two had been.