Retractions, Art, Illegality, and Espresso.

First things first, I have recently been informed by a very credible source that apparently, when William Blake uses slant rhyme in his poetry it is "brilliant in [its] deliberate use of slant rhymes. Like the images--such as the Tiger, who is deliberately and disturbingly too-docile--they constantly trouble our sense of pattern and expectation."

That being said, I admit that I probably judged Blake too harshly without truly understanding his poetry. Therefore, I retract the statement that he is a "nut-job lunatic" and a "no talent hack-job." You don't become one of the most anthologized poets ever by writing crap. You just don't.

I (unlike Fox News) am willing to present my readers with both sides of a story so that they can form an educated opinion for themselves. HOWEVER; I (in the exact same fashion as Fox News) still wish to assert that I personally continue to dislike the poetry of William Blake, and do still personally believe that he was absolutely less talented than Shakespeare, Orwell, and Lennon et all. And I am going to present this complete opinion as fact because this is my forum for doing so.

Moving Right Along:

The past three days can accurately be dubbed "Jaclyn looks at a lot of art from a lot of different mediums." I visited Somerset House and viewed the absolutely amazing collection of French Impressionist Art in the Courtauld Collection on Wednesday afternoon, which turned out to be free for full-time UK students (of which I am now *grins*) and was SO COOL. I absolutely recommend it to anyone coming to London. The architecture is stunning in and of itself, and it would be the highlight if the paintings weren't so damn famous and awesome. And they allow photography, so here are the highlights.

I love Degas Ballerinas. So Much.

Desperate Housewives Fans, this one's for you. (Alexa and Mom)

Probably my favorite Van Gogh I've ever seen in person. His eyes are staring right into your eyes no matter where you stand. And trust me, because I stared at this painting from every angle I could without looking like a complete idiot.

The perspective in this is amazing. Look at her body in the mirror.

And I love this painting. Awesome.

Then, on Thursday our class went to the Tate Modern to see the Exposed exhibit on Surveillance and Voyeurism and then we got to walk around the museum afterwards. The exhibit was really interesting and really uncomfortable in that it felt odd to be watching other people being watched unknowingly. But I wager that's also the point. Also, the Tate does not allow photography or any of its exhibits. Here are the pictures that I did not take illegally in the Tate Modern.

Roy Liechtenstein. There was another really cool one but it was being heavily guarded by curators :(

Warhol Self Portrait. I actually have pictures of like 4 Warhols from the museum on my camera. They should probably put some guards in that room.

Also, this picture is perfectly legal, because it came from the top floor. Here you can see St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Millennium Bridge. I walked across this bridge upon leaving the Tate, but apparently its wobbliness was corrected during the reconstruction following the attack of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters. Imagine my dismay.

Then today, after an extensive tour of everywhere one should go to get a good cup of espresso, I went and toured the National Gallery again because the first time was basically a dry sprint. And unfortunately, every single room in the NG has its own staff member waiting to behead you for even reaching for something in your pocket that looks like a camera. So instead, here are the pictures of the espresso I had this morning.

This is a cafe Vienna from Freud's in SOHO. It comes with whipped cream.

This is a Flat White from the coffee shop Flat White. And it was really really good.

And we walked by the theatre that Hair is playing at. And I might have seen Gavin Creel when I was walking on the street, but he didn't have a jacket on and his hair was too long so it probably wasn't him. But he looked just like him. And then I had to explain to my two non-theatre-maniac companions why that was awesome, and why I liked Gavin Creel and then obviously who Jonathan Groff is. And I felt simultaneously sad and awesome. (This comment goes out to Andy, incase anyone who knows both him and I couldn't possibly guess that on their own).

Mom and Dad arrive here tomorrow morning, so for the next week, you should expect a lot more pictures of me with expensive looking food. I love my family. Just about as much as I enjoy Oxford Commas. Take that Vampire Weekend.