Curry Capers
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

For the first time in...? Stephen was up and out of the house before I could get myself out of bed. This is not a reflection on Stephen's habits, as he is like a boy scout when that alarm rings...no snooze buttons for that bloke...but rather that I'm finding the more sleep one gets, the more sleep one wants. There's nothing like 10 days with nothing to do!

So last night we went to Jaipur in Woking. I'm deliberately naming the restaurant so hopefully anyone curious about going to this restaurant and searching it on the internet will be able to read about our experience.

While the food was not bad, it was not exceptional. It felt very much like eating a British bastardization of curry, rather than an authentic specimen of Indian cooking. I think the fact the place was full of white people should have tipped us off. Anyway, this would have been fine and acceptable had the prices not been totally off the charts! I mean you think you're going to get what you paid for, but boy oh boy: 50 pounds for a vegetable biriyani, another veggie main dish, appetizers (veggie again), 2 beers, 2 coffees & 1 dessert...how does that equal 50 smackers?

It's time to go back to L'Aroma with my tail between my legs.

Anyway, on a more serious note, below is a link to an article by George Monbiot which was published in the Guardian yesterday. The subject: Britain's secret holocausts. Wonderful seasonal material.

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2005/12/27/how-britain-denies-its-holocausts/

Today, more errands in town. The library is resuming normal hours, oh joy, and get some food for dinner.

That's all for now folks!

Fun with wikipedia
Mood:  bright
Topic: Stephen Says
Just a quickie blog entry because I must be off to bed.

I typed 'Woking' into Wikipedia this evening and such gems as the following appeared:

"Woking's history starts in 673AD or CE. Woking begins around about this time as a settlement of a Wessex tribe followers of Wocca. The name has been corrupted and was spelt as Woccingas, Wochinges, Wokynge, Wochynghe at different times."

Wha??

"Woking was home to author H.G. Wells, who had the Martians in The War of the Worlds land on Horsell Common, close to the town centre. There is a statue of a (Wellsian) Martian in the town centre commemorating Woking's fictional destruction. There is also, inexplicably, a Hawker Hunter jet fighter, painted silver and mounted on a pole roughly 10 metres tall."

WHA???

And best of all is a link at the bottom of the entry to THIS POEM Which you all really must read to beleive. Yep, that's our Woking.

Yikes, I mean, my God, this is where we live?!?!

Later On...
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

No crossword puzzles... I'm really just not ready for that step yet. But I did buy an address book & am formalizing all the bits of papers and scribbles into one place.

This morning after blogging was lovely. I went for a quick run and it must be noted that the 27th of Dec. has been the quiestest day for street traffic that I've encountered so far. Maybe 1 or 2 cars on my whole run! What's going on?

And then it happened just as I was about to go into town:

The first (and probably last) snowfall of the year!!

So I'm sure drivers were avoiding the streets today, which exlains this morning's phenomenon. But what a pleasure!

I'm now waiting for another hour or so for Stephen to come home. Then we'll head into town for a curry tonight---can't wait!

Weird Art
Mood:  d'oh
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Yesterday Stephen & I characteristically checked out the Boxing Day Sales. We came away with our original Christmas present for the flat idea: 2 canvases & some paint. Here's the result:

Can you guess who painted which one?

These were inspired by our fabulous gift of Heidsieck & Co's Monopole Blue Top Champagne Brut. Mmmm.

Today, what's in store, let's see: food shopping, collect dry cleaning, buy a crossword puzzle book (I've got to learn how to do these early so as I get older I can keep my mind in good shape...always plan ahead I say) and a Time Out magazine as we are finally going to sign up for a subscription.

Also, I'm going to try vacuuming the dust out of the extractor fan in hopes it will work once again, there's laundry and dish washing, and budget making...I better go now!

This is what I did on Christmas
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Elisabeth playing excessively morbid union songs written by Brecht on the piano upstairs
Topic: Stephen Says
Arrived at work on the 24th at 2PM and all was quiet - everyone was jolly & in a good mood and looking forward to Christmas day. As my shift ended, everyone uncharacteristically went to bed early and so I meandered down to the sleep in room where I watched a DVD before turning in.

For dinner that night, I ate 1/2 a pizza. At midnight I was a tad peckish so I ate another 1/2 pizza. In the morning, I got up at seven and had 1/2 a pizza for breakfast. It's nice to know that even while working, I can keep my Christmas traditions alive.

So anyway, Sunday was spent pretty much just cooking. I was on shift with my Australian collegue and the two of us had to throw together a traditional English Christmas lunch for 14 (Though only 11 turned up). At 7:30 I had our 9KG turkey thrown into the oven. A tight squeeze, I was a bit nervous that it wouldn't even fit in the oven. 15 minutes after waking up, I was fisting the bloody thing, taking out it's giblets and, later that day, spent a good deal of time basting & probing it. I have never been as intimate with a piece of food as I was with this bird.

Here it is in the oven:

After that, the two of us prepared: Boiled carrots, roast potatoes, steamed broccoli & brussel sprouts, 2 different types of stuffing, gravy, honey roasted parsnips, a disasterous trifle that I had made the day before (With some assistance), a Christmas pudding (Well, I just boiled it for 3 hours) and assorted nibbles, juice, soft drinks and booze.

Everything was calm, cool & collected and I suspect that the 2 foreign men suitably impressed the English ladies who showed up at 2 o'clock only to see that the house was stress-free, kitchen was clean and there was no panicing.

So yep, everything was good. The residents told me that Elisabeth really should come because she shouldn't be spending Christmas on her own and, after the meal was done, E retired to the lounge to watch Singing in the Rain with everyone while we tidied up. Withness the destruction of the turkey:

All in all a very pleasant and Christmassy day. We retired home around 5is after I'd spent 27 at work. I'm off today and back to the project tomorrow; E continues her massive block of time off.

We've bought paints and blank canvases and will be painting tonight - sprucing up our flat with unique pieces of outside art. Unless we go out for a curry. But our energy is low & there's a bottle of champaign chilling in the fridge so who knows.

Champagne Breakfast
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: Mozart: the Marriage of Figaro
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Ahh...that's better. Pop goes the cork & slurp goes my mouth.

Stephen was a dear and called me last night & invited me again to have Christmas lunch at his residence. I've accepted & so will be trotting off in a few hours.

Trusting you all are having/had a very happy Christmas & are groaning with the weight in your bellies.

Let's drink to good health!

Update: Twas the Night Before Xmas
Stephen's at work. I tried cleaning the bathroom & whilst dislodging a chunk of dust from the extractor fan, it was sucked in, and the fan is silenced forever. And because the fan automatically switches on with the light, I'm afraid to turn on any lights. So candles galore are dotting the bath tub & sink. Stephen will be pleased. Oh jeez. New Year's resolution: call the landlord for repairs.

Meanwhile I took a bath by candelight..,very relaxing, highly recommended, & read a short story by Banana Yoshimoto. Now, I thought it would a bit like Haruki Murakami's Norweigian Wood, but it's a bit too bare and boring for me. Not bad, but not teethy enough.

I have since given up cleaning for the day, and have also decided not to go to the Christmas Eve service, partly because the Anglican church in the town centre, I discovered, does not have a midnight mass. So I've listened to BBC4 all day & have heard the King's Choir traditional Christmas Eve service & have had my share of Christmas jingles from internet radio.

So. I've eaten, and now I'll relax this evening. Perhaps finish reading Hamlet backwards.

Joy to the World!

Twas the Day Before Chrismas
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Arethra Franklin
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum, Bailey's and Jack D.!

Hoping you are all in the festive mood and have safely arrived where you are meant to be, for those who have been traveling.

What a great time of year...so much time to blog! So please expect to see daily updates for the next 10 days, but don't get used to it, because it ain't gonna last!

Yesterday Stephen was off work & I had a half day. It has been quite a busy week in having the company x-mas party on Fri, chores on Sat while hungover, Sunday down to see Stephen's family, working Mon & Tues. on Wednesday our small dept. had a team training day in Guildford followed by some shopping & then dinner at a nice restaurant where I had some very rich food and lots of wine. In bed by 12:30. Worked Thurs. hungover which led to yesterday's 1/2 day, where we ate breakfast together, did some "work" and then home. Stephen & I did some kamikaze strolling through the mall waiting for King Kong to start at 3:30.

Ok King Kong. I didn't want to see this based on the trailer because it appreared to be a typical action thriller with very good special effects, but very little of interest beyond that. Stephen & all the good reviews convinced me to see the movie as it was "a perfect movie" "not to be missed". Do you see where I'm going with this yet?

Basically, I should have trusted my instincts. It was not a very engaging film & probably not the result that Peter Jackson was aiming for.

Anyway, it was a good way to kill 3 hours...we came home ate and ate & drank & went to bed early.

Stephen is now preparing for sleeping in tonight at work. I think I'll be going to the Xmas Eve service in the town centre to sing some carols and what not...but not before I give our apartment a good once-over...it's been moving quickly towards the "unexeceptable" point.

That's all for now...keep on truckin.

Buh
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Stephen Says
This'll surprise Elisabeth. I'm actually blogging.

Actually I'm doing because I'm so irritated right now that I can't go to bed, so I'm drinking a 35 pound bottle of wine E brought back from her night out with office people. This is the benefit of working at an office. Or at least being married to someone who works in an office. My irritation is work related but whatever - it's going to get sorted soon so it's only an ephemeral irritation.
Buh.

I haven't done much blogging because I haven't been doing much of anything. So in lieu of something interesting to blog about here are my thoughts on 3 DVD's I bought the other day.

Groundhog Day: I've only seen this once before on TV but Elisabeth talks about it alot. It's actually quite good - a romantic comedy that's not cheezy and totally realistic. Well, except for the whole paranormal aspect. I mean, the romantic angle isn't forced down your throat like, say, a Tom Hanks movie. A tight script, Bill Murray plays Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell plays Andie MacDowell and it's directed by Egon from Ghostbusters. Not laugh out loud funny but 'oh, wasn't that clever' funny. The highlight: The groundhog's mouth in every scene that the groundhog's in.

Fletch: Chevy Chase. Every line that Chevy Chase says in this movie is hysterical. The trailer is laugh out loud hysterical and it doesn't even show the best parts. Hands down the funniest movie ever made (With Clue being a close second). There is nothing funnier than Fletch. The highlight: Every single line that Chevy Chase says.

Slap Shot: Best hockey movie ever. Best sports movie ever. It was made in 1977 and has the most foul swearing in it that you'll ever hear outside of an Eddie Murphy stand up routine. It's also got more realistic violence & gore than Saving Private Ryan. the highlight: The Hanson's beat the living daylights out of the opposing team. Before the national anthem. The lowlight: Paul Newman in a fur-lined brown leather coat.

Nope, still irate.

So, I've been reading books by Paul Pahulianichuckiwhateverthefuck. The guy who wrote Fight Club. Only problem is that the 2 books I've read by him read like their being narrated by exactly the same person: Ed Norton from Fight Club. More twists & turns than an M. Night Shammalammadingding movie (And more logical & sensible too!) but they still leave me feeling empty and, well, frankly, I just can barely care enough to just finish the books. By the way, the books I'm refering to are Choke (Guy pretends to choke on food to gain sympathy & money from strangers to keep his alzenheimer afflicted mother in hospital) and Invisible Monsters (Supermodel who has her face shot off goes on a road trip with a pre-operative transexual & her kidnapped boyfriend and they all steal drugs from rich people.)

Right now I'm reading Philip Roth's The Plot Against America. It was supposed to be the most important book published last year. So I'm reading it this year (How retro). Basically, I'm 15 pages in and he's just skewering the Republicans. Just 15 pages in and I reccomend it more that What's Up Chuck Paulachuck. But then again, Philip Roth did win the Pulitzer Prize...

Blogger Heads
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: BBC4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
I can't believe that Stephen hasn't blogged! He's had two days in a row now where he didn't' have to work until 2pm. I mean really, we're at blogger heads about this.

So I'm guessing that many of you are thinking about Christmas, perhaps about to hit the road or sky or rails, and I can honestly say I prefer my own plan to just stay right here on my touchkin. I even forget Christmas is only a few days away, and that's so refreshing!

In other news, we had a relaxing trip down to Dorset where we lunched with Stephen's family. It's just gorgeous in the New Forest, all frosty and silent...whoo whee!

Work has been really pleasant this week with way fewer phone calls and a chance to work through the backlog of credit notes & collections I inherited. Tomorrow is a team training day in Guildford followed by a few hours of free time and then dinner at Cambio, apparently a very nice restaurant. Having nothing to wear of course, I took advantage of Debenham's extended X-mas hours and bought a nice skirt after work. I also then stocked up on food to tide us over the weekend.

Otherwise, not much doin'---looking forward to my 10 days off! Stay tuned to this blog!