After four years of surviving winter weather in Erie, PA the mild London seasons hardly seem notable. Granted, there have been a few days of bitter gusts of wind and flurries of snow which have caught Londoners unprepared. I have discovered that the British do not keep "calm and carry on" in even remotely extreme weather. Despite the sporadic weather induced inconveniences to public transport, getting out and about has been frequent and successful. These outings have involved uncovering a small ice rink and going on a scavenger hunt for the Guildhall in the "City" of London. In one of the first weekends back in the city, I was able to climb aboard the HMS Belfast, explore Greenwich, view the recently restored Cutty Sark, and peruse a temporary exhibition of stunning Ansel Adams originals at the National Maritime Museum. During the few days that snow stuck around London I made sure to venture into the lovely Regent's Park, one of my favorite locations in any weather.

Since I have been back my weeks have waffled between the extremes of either having very little work to occupy my time or being immersed in an onslaught of things to do. I am only taking one course this term, a collections course in which I am part of a team given the task of investigating the history and significance of a particular object- in our case, a beachene dog skull. While this may be the only coursework I have to concern myself with, I have also been becoming more involved in museum projects and musical endeavors.

The first museum project is a reseach assistantship with the director of the Petrie Museum, who is investigating the role of museums and exhibitons within cultural diplomacy. The project runs in partnership with the Vicoria and Albert Museum as well as the Mosaic Rooms. The second museum project in a volunteer placement at a museum of anthropology, natural history, and musical instruments called the Horniman (pronounced horny-man...and yes, this does seem to make everyone snicker...). I am the photography assistant in their storehouse, where I am helping process a selection of the anthropology collection for curatorial review. The staff are eccentric which means that I fit in well. While going over health and safety regulations one of the first days, my supervisor and I discovered a file labeled "Zombie Apocalypse Contingency Plan." The file contained a diagram detailing a member of the museum staff wielding a narwhal horn and outfitted in turtle shell armor, riding atop of a trolley which had been fortified with moose antlers (see photos for a visual). Now I can truly say that I am prepared for ANY emergency!

In addition to these projects I have been preparing for concerts with both the UCL orchestra and Blackfriars Sinfonia. UCL is preparing for a production of Verdi's I Lombardi- an opera elusive from classical memory yet every bit as dramatic as would be expected. I have also performed as a soloist at a small cafe in Kensington called Fait Maison. Valentine's Day I was hired to serenade patrons as they took a late afternoon tea or ate dinner. The best bit of the night was entertaining a little kid who seemed to think that plucking a string of the violin was the most hysterical thing he had ever seen.

When I haven't been a strolling musician or bogged down by projects, I have taken trips to places such as Hampstead to see the John Keat's House, China Town to see the celebratory New Year's decor, the Banquetting House, Covent Garden, the British Museum for the dance-filled opening of a Sierra Leonean exhibtion, Harrod's, the British Library, Baker Street, and Leicester Square for a relaxing mix of coffee and Thai food. I have even been treated to a night of delicious Greek food by my flatmate, the lovely and talented Stephanie.

Considering opera performances and the growing list of uncharted territory, March is bound to be just as bustling and fulfilling!