Heaven in London.doc

An attempt to sum up the weekend will only given 5% of an indication of the amount of fun I had. There are just some events that cannot be done adequate justice through an insufficient collection of nouns and verbs. Yet, we soldier on in the face of challenge. I spent the weekend with two of my favourite girls, Emma Jane Hunter and Talia Radcliffe.

Emma's visit has been the light at the end of my November tunnel for a solid month now. Even though I was lucky enough to see her twice in Toronto during the visit in June (like all of my other besties back in the city) I haven't had one on one time with her in thirteen months. For friends who have spent the past six years close at hand, this is much too much time apart. The excitement was unbearable. I was smiling uncontrollably on the train and tube ride into the city. When we finally were reunited in the lobby of the Hunters' Trafalgar Square hotel room, it was pure bliss. I was glad to see that, as I expected, my best friend hasn't changed much. We can go a year without talking, but all it takes is a snap of the finger to fall back into our old patterns.

We sipped on a drink in the lobby bar and visited with her wonderful parents. The Hunters were incredibly generous in asking me to join them for the night. Mrs. Hunter was really keen to hear more about my dissertation topic, and Mr. Hunter's subtle comic genius always makes me laugh. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the National Portrait Gallery. I learned that Emma now likes to drink dirty martinis (a Megan Deeks favourite as well). The restaurant overlooks a lot of wonderful city landmarks. It is the type of place characters in a film would eat in as the backdrop screams Londontown. The dinner was delicious and visiting with the Hunters was a special treat - they are such a generous family. From there we went to a production of Othello just down the street featuring British comedian Lenny Henry. The show has received much critical acclaim and is running for only three months in the city. It was a really impress show. Henry's commanding voice (with one of the deepest registers I've ever heard) exuded authority. The guy playing Iago was deliciously good. Emma, myself, and her parents discussed the merits and drawbacks during the intermission and again at the play's conclusion. It was a wonderful dinner and show combination in one of the best city's in the world for that type of one-two punch.

After Emma's parents retired to the hotel, it was wonderful to catch up with my best friend. We sat for just over an hour in a pub and dished about everything and anything going on in our lives. I was so happy to hear about the latest happenings from Toronto, and it was great to tell my friend what I had been up to for the past year. We laughed and laughed like old times and shared a bevy of "ideas" as we are want to do. An interesting side story: [When we left the table to get another round of drinks, I returned to find my new scarf had been pinched. I deeply suspected a man in a table behind us so I inquired with no success, realizing his bag was practically overflowing with bulk, and kept giving him "cut-eye". He eventually pulled a Houdini and "found" the scarf on the opposite sit of his table like it had jumped over there. When it actual fact he removed it his bag and pretended to find it. He left promptly to avoid a further confrontation since he knew I knew he was lying. He was already wearing a scarf]. After ensuring we had our fill of one-to-one convo we HIT the town. I chose a bar named Heaven for the following reasons:

1. It was right around the corner from Emma's hotel and the major intersection for night buses.
2. Open 11pm - 4am.
3. 5 pounds cover
4. Three rooms of pop: 2000s, 1990s, and 1970 and 80s.

I know my friend pretty well and figured this criteria was more than appropriate. To say we had an unbelievable time would be a substantial understatement. We bounced like pinballs between the three rooms, danced our faces off, and enjoyed every moment of the short visit. Since we figured no one in the club knew who we were, Em and I created a scenario for ourselves (I guess this is what theatre students do on the weekend). If anyone asked, and surprisingly they did, we said we were contestants from So You Think You Can Dance Canada who had been kicked off 6th and 7th respectively and were blowing our appearance money on a week in London. Emma enjoyed approaching dancers in the club and inquiring if they were pro. We danced to choice tunes until 4am when the lights came up. It was heaven. After the bar, we sat in Trafalgar Square (which has a massive Christmas tree) and talked for an hour. The visit was a reminder just how much I miss my friends back home. I wish the whole group could have been here to share in the insanity of our night, but having a one-on-one adventure with Emma was extremely special. If I had to have said goodbye to her indefinitely I don't know how I would have been able to, but it's only seven weeks or so until I'll see her again. It was an absolute blast.

Talia, who I've shared some incredible moments with over the past few months, was SO generous in welcoming me to her place for the weekend. After hitting the night bus home, I arrived on her doorstep at 5:30am and she didn't bat an eye. Not too many friends who would open their arms that wide. After a nice lie-in, Talia and I spent a leisurely morning catching up and chatting. I told her about the adventures of the night before and she let me know about the excitement in Berlin after I left. From her place we went to the Old Vic for a production of Inherit the Wind starring none other than Kevin Spacey. I was blessed to see two professional shows in one weekend. The show itself was really entertaining and well done. Looking back, I think it was the perfect show for Tal and I to see together. Our discussions always tend to be about ideas, social action, and the state of the world on some level. The debates at the centre of the show (evolution and religion, ideas and free speech, progress and thinkers) are themes that ring true for just about any kind of intellectual inquiry. Spacey was brilliant and so was the majority of the cast. It was a special treat to see a "celebrity" up close and following a love of theatre.

That evening we went back to Tal's place for a cosy pasta dinner and some wine. From there we had grand plans to check out a winter fair in Hyde Park. But upon arrival the whole place was closed. Instead we walked around and sipped on roadies before heading into a lively little pub. We caught two songs of acoustic guitar, and continued our discussions, before heading home for the evening. After a PERFECT little breakfast (a decadent pastry and coffee) at Paul in the train station, I made my way back to Leamington Spa.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: The weekend was one of my favourite all year. It doesn't where you are, as long as you have best friends to share the space, you're set. Great theatre doesn't hurt.