Wednesday was a combined class... and we went to the Museum of Brands Packaging and Advertisements. It's such a random and cool museum. And it's a little like wandering around in your grandma's attic. But somehow in a good way! The museum is dedicated to showing how products have been marketed since the mid nineteenth century. (So class relevance: the Global Foods class focused on food products and Twain class on the Victorian Era products.) There was a collection of Valentines from the nineteenth century when they basically began...thanks to the penny post...which made sending cards more popular. There was fascinating stuff about the various rationing campaigns especially during WWII. It was great seeing it again through the lens of the students. One student followed the history of Cadbury chocolate (so good!), one notice the history of the collectible item/knick knack itself...which really started in the Victorian era, another noticed the crazy offensive stuff that was going on with some of the ads, I of course took a cat - themed series of photos... bc of course I did!
Second stop of the day was Portobello Market. This is really my local market and I love coming up here... and it's walkable where most of the other markets I've taken the students to really aren't... even for me!! (Did I mention in a previous post having lunch at a test kitchen in a cookbook store who has set menu lunches? Their veggie day is Tuesday, so I tried it out and it was fabulous! Omg the Guinness chocolate cake that was the size of my head! I really shouldn't have eaten the whole thing...) So it was only slightly relevant to class to check out the market. But it *is* a Victorian era neighborhood... it began as a fruit and veg market-- though now it's more of an antique market... And there is always a food element to my classes... both of them in fact (a person's gotta eat). And it was their last class before their spring break. (In my world that week will be spent drafting a chapter, bc I sure know how to party!) So I set them loose to play and we met back up at a Belgian waffle place to discuss what they'd seen/learned today and what to expect when they came back from break.
After class, I hopped on the train to Hammersmith Evertim to see a charity comedy night for Stand up for Shelter. Eddie Izzard was the headliner but not the only performer... and his material was largely repeated. I felt oddly like going to a concert and hearing the old standards performed. And I don't mean this in a bad way at all. You know how we always love to hear the faves... even if we've heard them a million times before? Same kind of thing. He started doing his Death Start canteen bit...like a sequel...and the crowd went wild. We loved the fact that we knew what was coming. And I recognized some of his bits from other shows I've seen... But he ad libs so much it's always really different anyway... Omg I laughed myself silly! There were 4 other acts...and they were largely fine. I don't remember any names but I liked the woman best... But it was like watching a grown up next to kids... there weren't down times...or jokes that fell flat...or excessive set up... and if there ever is of course he knew how to spin that into a joke... He's been doing this a long time! I saw Dress to Kill on hbo in 2002!
And this was my big chance to see him in London itself. He wants to run for mayor of London, btw, in 2020. Nutty huh??!!
Also I think he does a bit about the Evertim Hammersmith at the beginning of one of his other shows. I think one of the earlier ones... Anyway, now I've been there to see him (talk about Wembley).
Home again home again... I have this minor fascination with taking tube and bus lines to their end. And Hammersmith is the end of the line for Circle line...my local line...and the 9 and 10 buses...my bus lines. So I went into the show on the Circle line until the "all change" came over the speakers. And came home on the 9 bus. Arriving at the bus station to my door was 15 minutes. That's shockingly fast for London...even at 11pm!
And today (Thursday) I go to a circus...that's not Cirque du Soleil. I can't wait to compare them!!
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