Hey, so I am doing something I have never done before... I am posting on my blog before writing in my Red Book. The only reason is though, I'm sitting on my bed with my computer, and my book is at my desk... um too far away. Anyway, I have exciting news...

I WENT TO THE BRITISH MUSEUM TODAY! WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!

I went with Kathleen and Amaya, we left around like 12:30 and Cassie was still in class.. sad, but we will be going back, because we barely saw anything. I only took 120 pictures... But it was so easy to get to! We went to Waterloo, and I rode the Underground for only the second time... exciting. We went on the Northern Line, and up like 3 stops to Totterham Court Road. On the map it looked like a long way to the museum, but it was the closest, and maps lie! It was up the road, and there was signs the whole way for us to follow. I told Kathleen and Amaya that we would follow the signs, and we do not know better than the signs! We have had a few instances where we think we know more than the signs... sigh. Anyway, so we get there, and this building is designed in a Greek style. It has the little statues at the top telling a story, maybe, or just for decoration in this case. But usually they tell a story, it's good to know I remember things from my classes! I took out my camera at once, took a few pictures, and then we went in. I warned Kathleen and Amaya that I would be going nuts when we reached the Rome and Greek rooms since I love the Romans and Greeks! Like love, or obsessive! So we go in, and right away there are two little busts of Roman emperors... WOW. I didn't know them though, they weren't important enough for our class. But then I saw Hadrian and Septimius Severus and I got really excited. Severus isn't one of my favorite emperors, but it was more of the fact that it was there, and I was looking at it.

So right after the entrance is some of the Egyptian stuff. They don't have all the Egyptian stuff together, there are some here, some there... it's all spread out. We saw some really old art, the Rosetta Stone, which when we were looking at that there was a group from Asia, and I went on the other side because they were crowding, and all a sudden they came to the other side and I got pushed almost out of the room. Um it was not cool. I couldn't say anything because they didn't speak English! So I went went to the other side, looked at it, and when they left I went back and got to take a picture of this awesome stone! Kathleen was really excited about this part of the museum, I don't blame her, I thought it was sweet, but the main reason I wanted to come was coming up soon!!! From Egypt, we went to the Greeks in Italy, the Etruscans, and those two were unbelievable! Especially Greeks in Italy, because it's about the Greeks, and the Greek art is fasnicating! I believe it was here, that I nearly died for the first time... there is a piece of art that depicts Odysseus and his men blinding the Cyclops! WOW! To read the Odyssey, and love Odysseus is one thing, to actually be in a room with this piece of art that was made THOUSANDS of years ago, is breathtaking! I was speechless, though I was able to call over Kathleen and Amaya. It was then that I believe I realized, wow, this whole museum has so much stuff from times even before the Romans... to the time of Troy and BEFORE!. I still can't believe that this stuff exists and in such good condition. The Greek art was perfect, how can this stuff be in this condition?

First of all, how was all this stuff made? I mean, seeing the pictures in text books is one thing, you think, wow that stuff is cool, but seeing it in person is an experience that I will always treasure and I cannot wait to go back. All this stuff makes all those hours I've spent studying history worth it... that I can look at something and be like, yeah I know what they is! I know Odysseus and that scene that is on that artifact... great scene. Or there was a piece of art that has Orestes on it... now I forgot to ask Shorty this, but I think I read something about Orestes, and that's why I took a picture of it. I was not an amateur in this museum, I recognized things and knew their history, and that was an great feeling.

Anyway to the big room... ROME! Now let start off by complainining... haha.. WHERE WAS JULIUS CAESAR? Excuse me? Where was stuff about the man who conquered everybody? I saw his name mentioned once, and it was talking about Actium, which by that time he was dead. Ummm. I know there are more Rome rooms, and when I go back and want to see some Julius Caesar, because you can't have Rome exhibits without him, he started it all! There were a lot of Augustus busts, which is cool, Augustus is awesome, but he's not his uncle. Maybe I've watched HBO Rome too much, but I love Julius Caesar, I think he was a good guy who got a lot done. Yeah he had no respect for people's privacy and he conquered some of Germany, all of Gaul, some of Spain, came to England, and um is that it? I think so. But this guy in my opinion was awesome, he did a lot of good for Rome, but he was too advanced in his thinking and was killed because of it...
So there is a lot of Augustus, and the first thing I saw was Drusus! Wow! He was the one who was really popular, and would have been Augustus's heir expect he fell off his horse in Germania and died. Um, not a cool way to go. After seeing him I saw Augustus and got my picture taken with him, hahah, and then there was the jewerly from Rome... such beautiful stuff. Wow, and then there was some weapons. I don't think I'm being very clear on the order of seeing everything, but we went into a good number of rooms, and by now I'm just drooling at everything, so my mind is back like 2000 years ago. There is busts of Livia and Augustus, who of course were married, Germanincus who also died, he was the grandson of Augustus and his father was Drusus. He was a popular choice to succeed Augustus so he too died... I also saw Gaius Caesar who was the son of Agrippa and Julie, but later adopted by Augustus, who was to be his heir, but yeah he died too. Augustus did not have a lot of luck with his heirs, he out lived basically all of them, and then had to 'settle' with Tiberius! So there's a bit of Roman history for you, I love how I remember all of that from last year!

Kathleen and Amaya posed with Hadrian, and as I was taking their picture my eyes went to the left, and I saw Antininius Pius, and I freaked out because I knew Marcus Aurelius had to be around there somewhere... he was behind me. WOW! Not only did they have the bust of MA, but his wife or daughter, they aren't sure who it is, and they had Lucius Verus and Trajan! I had to tell the story of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus to Kathleen and Amaya, I don't know if they cared, but I had to tell it. I was in heaven when I found the bust of Marcus Aurelius... well this is obvious but I love him, and he's my favorite emperor. I read Mediations over the summer and just loved it!

So now that my life is complete, we kept walking through, and we saw a lot of artifacts that has to do with life in everyday Rome. There was displays of different jobs, marriage, cooking, medicine... everything. They also had a lot of little statues of the different gods, and Kathleen loves Hercules so there are a lot of pictures of him!

One of the coolest things I saw was the scabbard of Tiberius. Now I am not a big Tiberius fan, that whole thing with Astrology and his self exile really freaks me out, though they say he was a great general... but just seeing that pieces of his sword, well his scabbard, I thought was one of the coolest things I've ever seen!

Take a look at my pictures because I took a lot, um, and some of them are just wicked. I cannot wait to go back, and I'm bringing my notebook next time so I can write down the order in which I see things. It's like when I watch a movie, I barely remember it, because I'm so caught up in the action, the music, the direction and the story. If I don't remember a movie, it means I really liked it!