Susan Jacobson

I went to Hampstead Heath on Thursday after the Monkey opera performance was canceled. I tramped around the Heath - a nice park, an interesting mix of woodland and grass, and "climbed" Parliament Hill (it's more like a bump). I found the John Keats House despite it's being squirreled away and off the beaten path - but apparently it's closed for renovations. At least I crossed Hampstead Heath off of my list of things to do. I have put the following on my list:

* Visit Camden Market
* Go Christmas Shopping at Harrod’s
* Hike the Malvern Hills
* See Parliament
* Tour the BBC – The students and I are doing this on Monday
* Ice Skate in Hyde Park – I am going to try to schedule this during our last day of class on December 10
* British Museum
* Victoria and Albert
* National Portrait Gallery
* National History Museum

Anything else I should do? I have been living at the British Library, working on articles to submit to journals, and I have not reached out to some of my journalism contacts yet to try to chat them up. I may yet do that, if I can finish one of my submissions today.



I’m going to Versailles for my birthday. Edinburgh was a possibility, but I think I will have to see Scotland another time. I am planning to attend the Future of Journalism conference in Wales next fall, so I can see Wales then, and I will be back in Ireland this summer. Jeffrey Koons has this hysterical show at Versailles where he has created large-scale balloon sculptures in the palace.

I’m going to see the Classical Spectacular at the Royal Albert Hall tomorrow night. It promises a laser show, lots of indoor pyrotechnics and cannon! I was so inspired a few weeks ago when I saw the 1812 Overture with canon at the Royal Albert Hall that I jumped at this opportunity!

I also purchased some straight-legged jeans and knee-high boots that are the fashion uniform for women in London. You wear the boots over the jeans. This look has grown on me. I got the boots on super sale, and give that the pound is now worth $1.50 I got quite a bargain! However, this is the third pair of boots I have purchased since coming to London – four if you count the cute pair of ankle boots I bought beforehand to bring with me. (The others were a pair of ankle boots to serve as walking shoes, and a pair of serious hiking boots that I took to the Lake District.) ( See More Photos of Hampstead Heath and John Keats House )