sarah vs the world

Not a video game, not a comic, not a band, but an amazing adventure continues...

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Rio Handed Over....now some time off!

So the show is over.  I am back in the US relaxing a bit before the next adventure.  But let's get up to date on what all has happened.  
We had been very busy rehearsing at our lovely indoor rehearsal venue for quite some time, but we managed to make sure we fit in Baldy's birthday!  I went to the gift shop to pick a souvenir bus mug and some English Breakfast Tea.  Candice picked up the cake and the trick candles!  Photos below.
Baldy at work on his birthday (with radios in the background and everything)!
We had a lovely evening of catching up with friends at Davy's Wine Vaults in Greenwich as well.  Cute little spot.
I also managed to get over to Mile End studios where the Ceremonies office were for a bit of meeting.  It was brief, but I did manage to grab this photo.  You can see the reflection in the glass of my red raincoat!
Visiting Mile End studios....this is from the set of The Fantastic Mr Fox
As it got closer and closer to the Closing Ceremony, we were rehearsing a lot more!  We had our own venue and eventually moved to the outdoor rehearsal venue to rehearse with the rest of the ceremony.  Our 8 minutes and 48 seconds needed to be all ready to go!  I managed to recruit Adam to come along to work with us as well.  Sonya who worked with me in New Zealand helped us out a lot out at the ceremonies rehearsal venue in Dagenham!  Dewi and I even managed to get a ride back to civilisation from her one day.  But working out how to put petrol in the (large) Mini was hilarious!  Sadly I didn't get to see much of the Olympics themselves, but it was great to just be in London during the games.  
Our final dress rehearsal in our indoor venue
Dagenham Dress Rehearsal Day...Adam and Claudia
 Dewi and Sonya refill the mini (but not mini) with fuel
So after several weeks of rehearsing, the big day had arrived.  We were aiming to do a full dress rehearsal in the stadium on the day of the show, but we didn't quite get to do it all.  We did do a bit of a technical run through with our headline talent and away we were.  The show day itself was actually my birthday, so Baldy and Candice managed to sneak some cake in through the security screening!  Of course there were plenty of old friends inside the stadium on show day!  2 hours and 15 minutes into the show (perhaps a bit longer since the show was running a fraction late!), we took to the stage. With nearly 300 performers, lots of awesomely synched up LED costumes, a few drummers, lots of dancing, a large moving dress and our inflatable logo, our nearly 9 minutes was complete!  Getting to meet Pele was pretty exciting for me on my birthday!  It really was great to be a part of it.  I only just watched the broadcast the other day. 
Olympic Park Flowers
Me with my cake on show day...
Tyler Ffrench and I inside the stadium before the show
Flag gets handed to Rio
The Stadium in Pano just before we started....
Sorriso dancing on centre stage
Marisa Monte
 Rio Dances!
With Indigenous guys...
Love those LED wheels!
 And drums....
And introduces the logo....
And the colours go green and yellow!
Indios post-show -- they were super popular on the walk back to cast holding!
The Legend....Pele
The next day was about catching up on sleep and thinking about packing.  Then I got a few people together at the Morgan Arms in Mile End to celebrate my birthday properly.  It was a lot of fun.  So many people that I have met on several different gigs in different parts of the world.  It was a massive catch up for lots of people!  A few guest appearances including Lenny who worked with us in New Zealand and the lovely Julie Brooks!  Unfortunately, didn't manage to get too many photos, but I did get this one from Edwina!  Does anyone else have any photos from the party???
Edwina and I at my birthday party the day after the show
The following day Candice and I had booked into see Buckingham Palace.  It is usually only open for about 4 weeks in summer when the Queen is away in Scotland.  They extended it a bit for the Olympics, and the Queen had some of her lovely diamonds on display for the jubilee celebrations.   We saw everything, ate the ice cream, bought a lovely brooch for my Grandma which looks very similar to a brooch that Elizabeth got at her coronation and spent a (rare!) sunny afternoon in the gardens. 
Buckingham Palace Rd
The Pool House at Buckingham Palace
 Candice Eats Buckingham Palace Ice Cream
Me on the back steps of Buckingham Palace....no photos allowed inside
Candice was determined to find the hotel where Kate and her family stayed before the wedding.  So after a bit of Googling, we found it.  The Goring Hotel is a lovely hotel just around the corner from the palace.  Apparently Kate stayed in a £5000/night suite!  We had a lovely lunch.  Definitely worth a stop if you are around the palace.  
Me out the front of the Goring Hotel
Lovely Goring Hotel Lunchtime fare
Candice and I spent a day in Greenwich doing a bit of shopping.  We worked in Greenwich nearly everyday, but only in the last couple of weeks, we worked out how many lovely shops and restaurants it has.  The market there is very lovely.
But then I had to think about packing up and heading back to the US.  I had a lovely Indian meal near Trafalgar Square with PC, Stanley, Nick Eltis, Stuart Anderson and AG.  I also had breakfast the following morning with Baldy, Candice, and Judith Morgan.  Then I pretty much jumped into a cab and headed to the airport, but not without grabbing a few last minute shots!
Last dinner in London, Indian Style with PC and Stanley
London on the way out of town...literally from my cab

I arrived back in Minneapolis pretty late at night, relatively jet-lagged and spent a couple of days just catching up on my sleep.  We had planned to have a birthday BBQ with Jonny in the afternoon and then meet up with Rachel at a bowling alley to see one of Jonny's bands play (and do a bit of rolling as well!).  But Brock surprised me as well and came from San Francisco just for the weekend!  It was a huge surprise.  Everyone thought he may had blown his cover a few times, but lucky for him I was a bit out of it and didn't even notice!  We all were together which was lovely.
Brock at Pahl's Market picking up corn
Brock and Jonny at the Dad/Me Birthday
Homemade Red Velvet Cake, Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce!
Mom, Brock and Rachel at the bowling alley
The weekend came to a close, and Brock headed back to San Francisco.  Mom, Dad and I got up at 4:00 on Monday morning to drive to Ohio.  15 hours later, we arrived at Grandma Rita's house in Gallipolis.  My cousin Sarah (also Sarah Jane, whom I was technically named after) was in town for one more day with her daughter Libby who I had actually never met.  So we got together with cousins and my aunt and uncle to have a lovely happy hour style dinner.  It took a few shots to get the photo right, but we managed to do it!  Grandma was also sporting her new Queen Elizabeth Brooch!  
On the way to Ohio
 The Gallipolis Contingent featuring Sarah and Libby Malone
 Grandma Rita shows off her Buckingham Palace style brooch
Now I will spend a few more days here in Gallipolis with Grandma and co.  Then we will head up to Springfield, Ohio to see the rest of Dad's family.  A few days later, I fly out to San Francisco to see Brock and Amber.  I am also meeting up with Melanie from Montreal and Karla from Guadalajara for a bit of a tech chicks reunion!  The 3 of us will take the train from there down to Los Angeles, spend a day in some great theme park, and then I will head back to Australia!  I will be in Sydney from 3-6 September (dinner on the 4th somewhere if you are free!), Melbourne from 6-13 September (afternoon catch up on the 8th I think!) and then.....off to start my new job in HOBART!  I will be working for the City of Hobart as Technical Producer of Festivals and Events.  I am looking forward to unpacking my suitcases for a while.  I plan on buying a house at some point soon after arriving, so there will be plenty of room for visitors.  Will try to get another post up before I get there, but know that if you are ever in the area, please let me know!  
Hope you are all well.  I am still keeping up with the instagram for those who need more Sarah Grubb updates! @sarahvstheworld
Can't wait to see everyone in Australia!
Lots of love,
Sxo