"Who Are We?" "BEANS!"

Click here for the full album

The past two weeks included many birthdays, dog shows, dance shows, reunions with uni friends, and many many many beans… Our title is a legitimate conversation that we had while redesigning our logo, albeit slightly exhausted and delusional.

Monday 5/20

C: I went to school for an early morning rehearsal that ended up ending early. Woo! In rehearsal, I impulsively decided to seam rip my sleeves off of my favorite James Whiteside t-shirt because they were gross and sweaty. I couldn’t find scissors, so I used a push pin and painstakingly ripped every stitch while first cast ran the piece (Economy in Straitjackets, Still Room for Movement by Peter Darrell, originally for Scottish Ballet in 1978). Somehow, our rehearsal director didn’t blink an eye when I stood in the back in a sports bra poking a pushpin into my shirt. I succeeded and felt so much better with my armpits free, especially when we put on the thick straitjackets. 

I sat out on the grass to get some sun and do some work before our tech rehearsal, which is when we go to the theater to work on spacing and lighting in costume. All of the pond birds are having babies now, so I looked at all of the lines of ducklings, goslings, and more. At one point, I looked up from my laptop and saw a family of ducks marching right towards me. I was scared the mama bird would attack me, but they all just stopped next to me, ate some grass, then continued wandering on. 

Later, during tech in the theater, lighting was taking forever as usual. We were all messing around in our white skull caps and all-white costumes laughing at each other. As our director said, “You’re not supposed to look good.” However, we realized that we could totally pass as some avant garde Gucci: PSYCHOSIS show, so Steffi started an impromptu fashion shoot. Later, she photoshopped us onto Vogue covers. Just dancer things.  

Z: I had a job interview (yay)...which was cancelled and then even after I repeatedly emailed and rescheduled it still has not occurred (booooo). Great way to start the week! I think I went on a run and just applied to jobs. 

Tuesday 5/21 HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE!!!

C: I didn’t have to go into campus today since only first cast was performing, so I got to spend the whole day celebrating Zoe’s birth!! Happy gemini season babyyy (I don’t actually know anything about astrology other than I get along really well with geminis…) I’ll let you describe your day. 

Z: Catja, Hebe, and I headed out in the morning after spending a very long time trying to figure out what to do with the day. Our first stop was Costa because I really wanted my free piece of birthday cake. We then ended up wandering around Central in the quintessential London rainy weather before finding a place to grab a bite to eat inside. We headed to Pret for a quick sandwich and to brainstorm our next plan of action. After discussing our Bridgerton hot takes and who we’re most similar to, we decided to one of Hebe’s favorite activities in London, contemplate Anne Boleyn at the Portrait Gallery. 

Hebe and I passed through the bag check quite easily, but looked back through the glass to see Catja having a lengthy conversation with security. Turns out she planned to mail a package while she was out and needed scissors to cut the label. Obviously scissors are not welcome in an art gallery, so the scissors were kept safe in a bag at the entry while we wandered the museum. We wandered about, stopping to see Shakespeare (who apparently had an earring! Very trendy of you, William!) and all of the Tudors. To Hebe’s disappointment, the OG Anne Boleyn had been moved to another exhibit and the replacement portrait just was not as good. 

We parted ways at the museum, as I had to go to class that evening. I walked north to UCL and had my evening class before heading home for the rest of the night. 

Wednesday 5/22

C: Happy birthday to my gorgeous mama!! Wish I could have spent the day with her, but luckily, Viggo and Mikka took good care of her celebrations.

Today was show day! I went into campus for a quick run through and cleaning rehearsal before dress rehearsal. We had never performed in costume in the space before, so it was a bit off-putting to figure out spacing and get used to the bright lights in the wings. I also forgot how dark it gets before and after the piece, especially in contrast to having stage lights blinding me for 20 minutes, and I couldn’t find the exit right away which was really unnerving. Luckily, we made it through!

The show went really well! It felt like one of my best runs, and I’m happy with the final product. Zoe, Hebe, Lucy, Callum, Anna, and Jake all came to support which was really special. It was Callum and Jake’s first ever dance show, so they definitely jumped into the deep end.

Z: I had a very chill morning and chatted with Hebe before we headed off to Roehampton to see Catja. We met up with Callum, who joined for the show, and made the long trek down south. The show was really fun to watch as always!

Thursday 5/23

C: I am still coping with my newfound cravings for beans, scrambled eggs, and orange juice for breakfast to Zoe’s deep dismay. I woke up with my body aching from performing and stumbled across the street to pick up more beans and oj. I tried the kind with sausages inside and they were terrible. Hebe witnessed the sad scene of me sitting on the floor eating bland sausage links covered in tomato-y beans. That’s all.

Z: Got literally no idea what I did this day, but safe to assume it was probably just stress applying to jobs. I now remember. I made a toothbrush holder out of air dry clay that is shaped like a house. 

Friday 5/24

Z: Birthday BBQ!!! Catja and I woke up earlyish and walked to Lidl to pick up the food for the BBQ. We got all the classics and headed back home with a cart full of food and a single use BBQ grill. We spent some time prepping the food and cleaning the house before everyone came over. Luke, Callum, Hebe, Lucy, and Luke all joined in the backyard for dinner, which was delicious (props to Luke who spent most of the evening grilling). 

C: Luke and I were definitely the grill dads of the group. I helped prepare the burgers, hot dogs, and veggies and Luke took over the grilling. Everyone else drank shandies, chatted, and suffocated slightly in the smoke.

Z: Also I must mention that Hebe made the most beautiful red velvet cake (my favorite) that was absolutely delicious! 

Saturday 5/25

C: Now that I don’t have to spend all of my money on commuting to school, I finally got a gym membership! As usual, my anxiety spiked, so I casually googled everything I could about the gym layout, the locker situation, and everything else that I could possibly ever think of. Luckily, it was off-peak and very chill, and I found my way around the maze of a gym.

Z: Clearly my habit of spending maybe a little too much time on TikTok paid off this weekend because I had multiple ideas for random adventures around the city. The first was Chelsea in Bloom, which is when all the fancy shops in Chelsea put out themed flower displays in celebration of the Chelsea Flower Show. Hebe, Catja, and I spent the morning wandering the very crowded streets of Chelsea where we saw lots of fruit, a Winnie the Pooh, and the dogs from Lady and the Tramp, all made out of flowers. Although it was crowded we managed to see most of the displays and even got to stop and watch a wedding party taking pictures outside the church. 

Sunday 5/26

Z: Day two of TikTok adventures was the Greenwich Dog Show, an annual local dog show at the Royal Naval College. It ended up being a gorgeous day, so we headed off to Greenwich, which involved taking the DLR, aka the rollercoaster of London transport, making the journey even more exciting. We staked out a spot in the sun near the edge of the show area and watched as the different titles were presented. Our personal favorite was Nala, a Staffie mix who did not win a single award but definitely should have. We also saw a French Bulldog that was dressed in a skirt and pink beret which was truly a sight to behold.

While watching, a group of probably 10 year old girls sat down next to me and started asking each other questions. One girl asked the other what her favorite city was, noting hers was NYC, and the girl responded that it was Las Vegas. Naturally, I was VERY confused, but don’t worry, she clarified by saying that it was because they have a store where you can create your own lip gloss…silly me for thinking that was a weird one. It only got stranger after that as the girl followed up by asking for the other girl’s favorite country, to which the girl, who responded Las Vegas to the previous question, stated very confidently, “Kazakhstan.” There was no explanation for that one. It haunts me. I need to know why. 

After seeing the first half of the show, we decided to head over to Greenwich Market to find some lunch. We looked around the whole place for the perfect meal, before landing on a Sunday roast. We got our roasts and enjoyed them in the sunny park.

C: When we got home, we did some independent work for a bit before eating dinner and deciding to fix our bathroom door handle, which decided to break last night. We walked all the way to the boys’ flat to pick up Ethan’s toolkit (even though he forbade us to via text but duty calls). Zoe and I really want to get a toolkit of our own one day. Imagine the crafternoon projects we could do with a saw and screwdrivers!!

After calling my dad and researching door handles, we finally pried off the ancient looking lock to discover that the internal mechanism broke off. Lucy and her Luke came over later that night, and Luke replaced the handles with our functioning living room door handles. Crisis averted for now.

Monday 5/27

C: Zoe and I made ravioli. I stressed about my dissertation. That’s all I remember from today.

Z: Yeah I don’t remember much but the ravioli was fantastic. I also made focaccia to go with it because you can’t have homemade pasta without homemade bread. 

Tuesday 5/28

C: I hit the gym again and took the train down to Tooting to check out the Work and Play Scrapstore, a place to source art materials that my professor told me about. It was a dreary trek to get there, although I did see a guy who looked so much like Leo Woodall on the way which made it more fun. But the store was hoarding heaven and worth the long trip. 

Instead of me holding onto every scrap of everything just in case it might come in handy later, the volunteers at the store organize and sort everything from coffee bean bags to scraps of wood panels to full rolls of fabric. After paying a £35 membership fee, I can go in whenever I want and get as many materials as I want for no additional cost! I initially went to source materials for my exhibition, but I left with lots of fabric to experiment with. I ended up sewing a skirt that night and I only made one significant error which is a win! It’s the perfect midi skirt for the upcoming summer. 

Z: I had class in the evening, but not really sure what I did all day. I think I was panicking about my dissertation…please can someone fill out my survey :) Oh! I also spent a bunch of time redesigning our website and logo!! So exciting! Catja and I wanted to reimagine our vibe as we’ve changed since being here. We hope you like it!

Wednesday 5/29

C: I went to a cafe in Regent’s Park to try and be productive, but it ended up being super crowded and full of families with energetic children, so it didn’t last long. I went back home to stress about my exhibition in the back garden.

Z: A fun little plot twist in our last couple months in this flat is that we have mice (Dad I promise it’s fine, don’t worry about it). We have decided that this flat is telling us to leave. Luckily, our landlords sent over the pest man again. However, this time it was not James, our favorite pest man, but instead Constantine. Constantine was here to kill the mice and made that very clear. He walked us through the house, showing us where the mouse poop was and telling us how he was putting down poison to kill them. Constantine even gave us homework. We had to close our living room door and place books in front of the gap on the floor and a towel in front of our laundry door. This he said will keep them confined to the kitchen where the poison is waiting for them. We have declared Constantine is not a pest man, but rather a mouse assassin. He will be back in a few days, to find said mouse (wish us luck please). 

Thursday 5/30

Z: Catja and I headed out bright and early on the Piccadilly line to pick up Hannah from Heathrow. We had not seen Hannah since the summer, so the reunion was very exciting!! 

C: I made lasagna for Hannah and me while she and Zoe caught up. So much has happened in the past few months! After dinner, Mikka called to catch us up on high school shenanigans. Hannah and Zoe have become Mikka’s two newest older sisters, so we all listened to stories about her short king crush, girls making TikToks and vaping in the bathrooms, and her hopes for sophomore year. Hannah also goes to her softball games back home, so we talked about her debut freshman varsity season. It was very wholesome! 

Friday 5/31

C: Today, we took Hannah on our central London tourist loop, although we were hit by many surprises. We transferred to the Bakerloo line at Baker Street, but TFL workers stopped the train halfway down the platform to pick something up from the tracks. We’d never seen that before. Then when we walked out of Charing Cross at Trafalgar Square, we stumbled into a Champion’s League fan fest. Naturally, being sports fans, we walked in an had a look. Football pundits sat on a large stage and talked about the upcoming match at Wembley. Several soccer-related carnival games were set up, but the lines were too long to tempt us. We went in one big photo booth with Dortmund-yellow seats to document the moment. After we had our fill of soccer, we started walking towards Buckingham. It was a super windy, pollen-filled day, and we all ended up sneezing and coughing a lot.

Z: We headed over to a Tesco near Big Ben for a classic meal deal, but stumbled upon all the flags hung up on Horse Guards Road. We were very confused as to what the collection of flags was and were shocked to find out that it was all of the Commonwealth countries. We did not know that that many countries were still in the Commonwealth! We then continued our journey, got our meal deals, and found a spot to eat outside of the Ministry of Defense. Since it was getting a bit cold, we decided to head home, where we got a surprise call from Fritz (recently retired EIC of TCV). It was really fun to catch up with him and reminisce on our TCV days with Hannah. 

Saturday 6/1

Z: I spent far too long this morning mathing out the timing for each stop on our grand tour of East Central London, but I nailed it in the end. We started the day in BANK (iconic) and went to the Mithraeum. I believe Catja has described this in a previous post, but it’s basically a temple that a bunch of men during Roman times made. We then walked down to the river through St. Dunstan, the remains of a church that is now overgrown with vines and trees, to finally arrive at Borough Market. We beelined for our favorite lunch spot, Bread Ahead, for donuts, brownies, and bread. We found a spot to eat and enjoyed our lovely snacks. 

C: After eating, we started walking across Millennium Bridge to meet Callum up by Farringdon. I showed Hannah the painted gum on the bridge, one of my favorite little surprises. I wondered if I’d ever catch the guy painting in action. We saw a man sitting down at the other end surrounded by people and cameras, and we thought he might be homeless. Then when we got closer, I saw that he was splattered with paint and had a tray of so many paints in front of him! I freaked out, took so many photos, and told everyone who would listen that he was there! That’s my kind of celebrity spotting.

We finally got to a pub with Callum, had some drinks, got burgers for dinner, then met Luke and his uni friends for another round. It was a fun evening, and we didn’t even hit the massive crowds leaving Wembley on our way back home. Even though we were exhausted, Hannah filmed Zoe and me acting out a TikTok sound that perfectly describes our relationship. Check it out on @offsideriverthames on Insta.

Sunday 6/2

C: We had a very relaxing morning in Hampstead Heath. We brought some snacks and a blanket and basked in the warm sun on Hannah’s last full day. We eavesdropped on what sounded like a dry first date when a couple sat behind us. We also listened to the music blaring and smelled weed from the group of sunbathers next to us. We chatted about our goals and dreams and reminisced on our Conn days. We can’t believe it’s been over a year since we graduated. Hannah still has 2 credits until she officially gets her diploma (it’s a longgg story), but we are so proud of each other. It felt like we were back chatting on Tempel Green or doing jello shots in New London Hannah’s apartment or staying up late editing each other’s articles.