31 October 2012

quickie in the hallway

Top: Delias / Pants: Primark / Boots: Enzo Angiolini / Scarf: Nordstrom B.P. / Legwarmers: H&M

Get yo' minds out of the gutters!
You know you went there...

What I mean by this title is, of course, that it was a very quick little photo session with just me, my camera, the self-timer, and a couple windowsills that helped us all out.  Awkward little party in the hallway, it was. {Yeah, I just went Yoda-speak on you.}

Speaking of Yoda, has anyone else been reading about how Disney had taken over LucasFilms and plans on making more Star Wars movies?  I personally don't like the idea.  Don't fix what ain't broke.  That's exactly what happened when they made the prequels - utter disaster.  Then again, that was when George Lucas thought it would be a brilliant idea to write it all himself, and at least now he won't be writing.  
Do you guys have thoughts about this?
Nerd out with me, why don't you?

Oh, and on another nerd topic, I went to see Timon of Athens with one of my theatre classes last night at the Royal National Theatre, and lo' and behold, who should be in it, but Dean Thomas from the Harry Potter movies!  And then I met him outside the theatre afterwards, so now I can say I've met three Harry Potter peeps.  Win.

**Note: This post is being linked up on Marionberry Style for the Trend of the Month - Boots and Booties!  Go check out some of the other awesome entries.

30 October 2012

magic made its way into my life on Friday

If you've made it to this point, I tip my wizard hat to you.

Apologies for the complete and utter spamming of photos that you just experienced on your way down here.  But they are Harry Potter related, so I'm sure you'll forgive me, right?
Right.

Last Friday, I went to the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden for the Harry Potter Studio Tour, and boy, was it magical.  Pun intended.  But no, seriously, it was.  If you aren't already aware of my obsession with Harry Potter {as showcased by these posts here and here}.  So going to where all the movies were filmed and seeing the props used, costumes worn, sets, and everything all up close and personal was a dream come true!

If you're in London, and do only a select few things, make this one of them.  I paid only £35 for the ticket, audio guide narrated by Tom Felton {Draco Malfoy}, and souvenir booklet with behind-the-scenes production information.  Not to mention, you're free to take as many pictures as you want, sit in the flying car and on Hagrid's motorbike, walk through the real Great Hall and the real Diagon Alley, and ride a broomstick with a green screen background and see yourself flying on a screen just like they did in the movies as you do it.

The most magical part of it, for me, was seeing the huge scale model of Hogwarts {the second and third to last photos above} that they used to film all those exterior shots of the castle.  Seriously - it was huge.  And so incredibly detailed!!  And the lights in the room would change slowly from day to night, and the whole castle would lights up in the windows when it was darker in the room... it was phenomenal.  The pictures don't do it justice at all.  Not at all.

Not to mention this revelation I had the other day... I've met Alan Rickman, and now I've seen the clothes he wore and the wand he used as Snape.  Ergo, I've come as close as is possible to actually having Severus Snape in my life.  I can die happy.  {Again, if you can't tell, Snape has always been my favorite character and Alan Rickman has long been my favorite actor, so it's a match made in heaven.}

So seriously, guys.  GO.  See it.  And get back to me, because I want to hear all about it and re-live it through you.

I will leave you with a quote that was on the wall at the beginning of the exhibit and which I think perfectly sums up this entire experience....

"No story lives unless someone wants to listen."
- J.K. Rowling

29 October 2012

a busy day in kensington

Let me preface this by saying that this past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were some of the most jam-packed and photo-op-tastic days I've had.  As you will see from the next few posts.

Starting with Thursday... the agenda - tour of Royal Albert Hall in the morning, a brief walk through Kensington Park, a tour of Kensington Palace, and a visit to some of the Princess Diana memorials in the park.  These photos above are all from Kensington Palace {with the exception of the first three}.  The tickets are great because you don't pay very much, but get to have as much time as you like to wander through the exhibits inside the Palace, and explore the gardens outside.  We took advantage of the whole thing - the Queen Victoria and Prince Albert exhibit, the Queens exhibit, the Kings exhibit, and the Princess Di exhibit.  They were all fabulous, though I especially loved learning more about Queen Victoria, and seeing all of the Diana mementos like some of the dresses she wore and the mantelpiece above with all those photos.

If you're in London, make sure to visit Kensington.  Well worth it.

Later that night, I went with a friend to see a band called To Kill A King at a local bar.  I hadn't heard of them, so it was a new thing for me {also because the only concerts I've ever been to were really large stadium shows like Lady Gaga, Green Day, etc...}.  It was really fun!  And the band was great!  The guitarist was especially hilarious, as he only had socked feet and no shoes the whole time.  Anyway, it was a great end to a great day.
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