Friday, January 21, 2011

Rachel is Stupid: Episode Two

Hey, fans, we're back with another episode!

So soon?! you exclaim. But in your heart of hearts, you know that Rachel is occasionally a fountain of stupidity, and oh, fans, the fountain was flooding forth like Niagara Falls last night. Let us again visit the incident from Rachel's P.O.V.


I was supposed to go to the opera last night. Seriously, the opera. It was for my Reading Theatre class, which is, as of now, my least favorite class, though for reasons that are administrative and not academic*. So after going to the library to do some homework, I headed to the tube station a full hour before the show was to start.

I had done my research. I knew that I had to get off at Tottenham Court Road to reach the theatre. Unfortunately, I assumed that the direction in which I had to go after that would be clearly marked, since it has been for every other theatre I've gone to so far.

But you know what happens when you assume. It was not clearly marked. But even worse than that, the real problem was that, because I had spent the better part of two nights before calling around the theatres/going on their websites and getting all of my tickets for every single show I had to go see in the term, I got my theatres mixed up. Instead of asking for the theatre that I was actually visiting last night, I kept asking for the one I'm going to on Tuesday. Obviously, I was unsuccessful in finding it.

In my desperation, I called Laura and asked her if she could look it up for me (good thing I topped up my phone beforehand... I had a feeling I'd need it.) Because I gave her the wrong theatre name, she got me directions to go to that location, which I did.

Or tried to do. Besides the fact the apparently, every person with large luggage in the nation decide to (slowly) use the tube last night, here's the thing- even when I was in the right location for the incorrect theatre... no one had heard of it. This theatre is supposed to be located on a very small, dead end road... and it's not there. Not only is it not there, not a single one of the six people I asked had ever heard of it. People keep telling me that things happen for a reason and I try to believe it, so perhaps the reason this happened is to show me that, uh... Tuesday's theatre isn't present in this world.

So I had an incredible amount of fun running through London (literally) until it was too late to get into the show whether I found the theatre or not. It was especially amusing for the people around me, I'm sure, because my knee is still spazzing out, causing me to have to gimp my way down the sidewalk. It was only after the time had passed that Laura contacted me and was like, "Um... I think you might have the wrong theatre," and then it all became clear to me. I felt like an idiot, mostly because I am one.

So I'm going to attempt to go back tonight. The good thing about getting a new ticket is that I actually get to sit down, and for a student price (the other one was standing room only... and when you have to take extensive notes, that doesn't work out so well.) Maybe Harriet Walter will be there tonight :p


*The issues that are making this theatre-going-for-class thing very hard are caused by a glitch in the system (we were told at the theatre induction meeting on Wednesday.) Basically, QMUL decided that they were only going to buy enough tickets for the "actual" QMUL students in the class to get, which means that, because most of the shows are at well-known theatres that sell out in a second, we associate students are not even guaranteed to get a ticket... but you have to see the show to take the class. And if you do actually get a ticket, it's almost always full price, as opposed to the ten of fifteen pounds QM charges you. It's incredibly frustrating, especially because I feel like the "real" students don't understand that, if they don't go on the specific night that QM reserved their tickets, their ticket just sits at the box office, unused, when an associate student who can't see the show otherwise, could use it. When we began our discussion on Julius Caesar this week, only half the class had gone to see it. That means at least six reserved seats sat empty. Ughhhh.
And unfortunately, neither our teacher nor our advisor can do anything about it except apologise. This means that class is pretty much operated under don't ask, don't tell- if you don't see a show, just pretend you did so she doesn't have to kick you out of the class. (Though this can only be taken so far; there are a certain amount of papers that need to be written on specific shows.)
In good news, my home school was offering extremely cheap tickets to a very expensive show that I am required to see, one that has been sold out for months. When I told them I needed the ticket for academic reasons, they said they'd do what they could, but it was still a lottery system. Thankfully, I found out today that I did in fact get the ticket! So now I have tickets for every show that I'm meant to see, however expensive those tickets may have been.


This weekend will be much less exciting than last weekend- I have much homework to do and my room is a mess. As much as I wanted to avoid buying large-ish things that I'll just have to desert when go home, I really need something to organise my papers... they're EVERYWHERE and driving me crazy. I think a group of us might venture out to a museum, though I'm not sure which one, and I want to do a good amount of writing and sign up for the gym. Whoo, hot times at QMUL :p

Quote of the Day: "Why is this so important? Well, because it's the subject of my Ph. D." -my history teacher (possibly not professor)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

AHHHH-You and your adventures of "finding" theatres just never ends. And sadly, once you get in the "OMG I can't find it mode"--all smart thinking goes down the drain.
At least you did think smartly and called someone that could help you figure it out... kind of. ( wish you would really buddy up and travel with someone)
Now that you know where you are going for tonight, bring a map and the theatre's phone number, you will be able to enjoy the theatre. ( guess you do not call the opera a show?)
I am glad you got all your required tickets..even with the crazy system they use.. which ignores the international students.

AYRGOS sells collapsable storage boxes.. very cute and will be able to bring them home more easily.

Take a deep breath and forge on.

Love ya
MOM

Captain Stennous said...

Rach,

You're not an idiot. But I have witnessed the "OMG I can't find it mode" more than once--is it coincidence that it usually occurs when trying to find theatres?

I hope Episode 3 is more exciting and less threatening to your coursework (it'd be great to have another getting locked in somewhere scene).

Good luck with that school work!

Stuart

Rachel said...

Dear Stuart,

You are a very mean person, but I will forgive you due to the fact that you are still my friend after seeing me in pretty much every mode including "OMG I can't find it." (I guess it is the proof of friendship when you think, 'It will pass,' instead of, 'She's a freaking psycho.')
Theatres hide from people. It is a well-known fact.
I'm glad you want me to get locked in more places... it will most likely happen since I am terrible with keys. I think you're just beginning to see my life as an amusing script, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Anonymous said...

But Rachel... remember as the person he is writing about, you have the final word, or the scene is nixed. :0)

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