Hoovering Salamanders
Now Playing: BBC 4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

I drove myself home today from my lesson. Those roads I thought would be impossibly tight to drive through, I drove through! I stalled once, but hey. It's good goin'

I feel like the cracks are starting to show at work. Instead of being resigned, patient, submissive, I find myself humming tunes, making sarcastic declarations, calling everyone "Sir" or Ms. and Mr ______. Don't get me wrong--I'm still very efficient and get the job done, but I'm worried that I'm starting to get too comfortable, so that the facade is cracking.

So I'm contemplating going back to univeristy in a years time. London or Toronto? We'll have to see.

Tomorrow I'm going to the YMCA for the monthly volunteer meeting, and will arrange a time to discuss theatre ideas. I'm thinking improv & theatre games to ease into things, and then exploring Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed.

My toenails are too long. I hate cutting them.

Typical
Topic: Stephen Says
I left work and 1 minute out the door it began to pour with rain and so I trudged to Sainsburys in wet jeans to do my shopping. As I waited outside for things to clear up, eating a brie, grape & fruit chutney triangle sandwich, the Polish idiot who tried to do me up for sexual harassment bumped into me where he tried to play some kind of asinine one-upmanship game of macho stupidity dealing with travelling over Europe (Except he'd forgotten if I was Canadian or Australian and wasn't aware that I was well aware of his [lack of] job history since getting fired from the charity). I just ate my sandwich as a response, too bored to deal with this Pschmuck who almost cost me my job. Weird because 6 months ago I would have been trying very hard not to be shouting at him. Elisabeth pointed out how much he dominated my life (for the worse) back then and now I don't even think of him. Even today when I saw him, I didn't get stressed out - just thought 'Huh, well this is going to be akward for him, not me,' and just kept eating my brie, grape and fruit chutney triangle sandwich.

Blah, it's just me pointlessly blogging because I'm in a poo-kinda mood (Pity there's no emoticon for poo)
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: Steel Pole Bath Tub - Scars From Falling Down
Topic: Stephen Says
1 more week to go running the project and it can't end soon enough. It's not that I can't handle it (I can), it's that I don't have any deputy to deferr to which means that I'm doing both roles and it's a lot to deal with staff, resident & paperwork-wise and things started to kick off this weekend and this week is only going to get worse as the repercussions snowball.

And then I realised that I've been scheduled to attend this big meeting with all the local social workers this Friday and that's my day off so I'll probably have to go to it anyway for a couple of hours and get my brain sucked out. If I'm lucky.

...I've been meaning to blog about Bulgakov but so far I've only been able to struggle through to chapter two. It has, however, enlightened me into the ulterior plans with regard to Bush's so-called War on Terror:

You see, in the book, Pontious Pilot is aghast that Bar-Rabban is pardoned and that Jesus sent to be crucified but the justification is that an idea (spread peacefully) is more dangerous than a violent revolutionary because those kinds of people will mar the message and create a physical embodiment that soldiers can battle and countries can go to war against.

So you see, this is why Osama Bin Laden is being allowed to live safely in Pakistan and the discussion is about what an evil religion of extremists Islam is. Because if the tenants of Islam were to be explored and if people understood that it, like, technically, all religions, it was about peace & love, there would be no one to fight. We'd all understand one another, the corporations wouldn't make billions, Bush would be indicted for voter fraud back in 2000, tens of thousands of people would be alive today, hundreds of thousands of people wouldn't face the scars of experiencing war, etc.

Because, you know, if religions got along then people might want to convert to ones that aren't Chritian and the rapture might be delayed enough so rich white people might get affected by the environmental destruction they're brining about.

Bleah, I'm not expressing myself as clearly as I want to. I've also just checked and there are 32 chapters to The Master an Margarita (Plus epilogue). So by my estimation, I should finish the book around autumn 2007.

Thank you, Bank Holiday Monday!
Mood:  happy
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
My father left us this morning after a lovely visit. Last night we went to the PROMs to see Mozart's Requiem and thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you're interested, read this article by George Monbiot on the linkage between the incease in childhood mental illness, with the increase of GDP.

Willy Loman Syndrome

It's been a very relaxing bank holiday from work, and I'm actually please to say that it's 4 day working week with no plans for this weekend (other than Stephen having to work).

Cette semaine: Bon Voyage Aout!

I Suck.
Topic: Stephen Says
The piece of junk cell phone I used to have died on me earlier this week. I don't really need a cell phone other than it's extremely handy to have one for work and now I've gone and bought (With Elisabeth's urging) a relatively new fangled one with built in Mp3 player, camera, video, etc and am just a great big bewildered nerd now trying to hook the phone up to the laptop so that my ring tone will be some song that I can't even think of right now.

Elisabeth & Dan are in London and off to the Proms tonight. I'm being a big, lazy nerd.

A big lazy nerd who was going to blog about something but has forgotten because his cell phone has eaten his brain.

Dive Bombing
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: Neko Case-Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

Tired, Tired Tired...but it's really sunny, warm & it's Friday before a bank holiday weekend...

We ordered pizza, have each cracked open a beer, and can do little more for the rest of the evening.

Last night we met a couple of Stephen's old classmates down in Islington. 2 4 1 cocktails = 0 alchohol so I wasn't hung over this morning after a Mojito, Bloody Mary and Polish martini but instead just tired, tired tired.

I got Boal's Games for Actors & Non-Actors today from Amazon. Hopefully I can use this with the YMCA thing.

ZZZZzzzz--bye

Visit from Dad
Mood:  rushed
Now Playing: Cat Power-the greatest
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

My manager let me go 30min. early today. Which is very welcome as I'm starting to feel a bit stressed...but for no good reason other than we've been having too much of a good time.

Monday we went over to the South African king & queen's place for a lovely meal, and for a chance to tutor their son in drama. Looks like we'll exchange tutoring for driving lessons--

Anyway-it all fell apart over a couple bottles of wine, but a good time was had by all.

Tues. my dad arrived around 6pm from Sweden. Stephen made a fab risotto with leak, shiitake mushrooms and white wine. We then had a stroll into Woking to show off the town centre, the bomber on a stick and the alien statue, before we settled on the pub. My dad left this morning for Oxford where he's attending a conference until the weekend. So we'll see him again Sat-Mon.

Tonight Stephen works, I have a driving lesson and am trying to chill out! I've got a candle lit, some camomile tea brewing...

Weekend Update
Now Playing: Mudhoney - Under a Billion Suns
Topic: Stephen Says
I splurged today and bought the above CD and Ministry's new album, Rio Grande Blood. I tell ya, there's nothing like a right wing administration in the White House to produce some kick ass hard-core. It's like I'm 16 and listening to Land or Rape and Money for the 1st time all over again.

(Plus I got a copy of American Psycho on DVD for 4 pounds as a result of my purchase.)

So, I finally saw Black Hawk Down the movie and can say Thank God I saw this on T.V. and didn't waste vaulable money on that piece of american jinoistic crap. A movie that was made totally out of context of the book that makes the loss of African life incidental to the wounding of a White Man and has an even greater patriotic bullshit monologue at the end than at the end of Saving Private Ryan, propaganda that makes the U.N. (and Pakistan appear to almost deliberately encourage the loss of American life and Argh, I can't go on.

The most revolting part: Where all the Pakistani soldiers come out of the mist dressed as waiters and serve the Brave Americans cold water.

The second (actually tied with the) most revolting part: That all the Somalis just fell down and died as opposed to the Americans who got all shot up and wounded horribly and needed surgery and suffered terrible scars. The fact that they omit the parts of the book dealing with the Somali doctors trying futiliously trying to save their people's lives from American hostility was completely ignored by the movie is inescusable...

...as is the omission of the Somali's using women and children as human shields.

Ugh, I hated the fucking movie. Especially the fabrication of A Bad Guy in the form of the man who kidnaps Mike Durant and is then blown up later on. It doesn't even serve a purpose other than a point in the film for dumb jocks to pump their fists and shout "Hoo-ah!"

And speaking of Pakistan, the other week I played my 1st (pseudo) game of cricket and have actually grown to appreciate the game a whole hell of a lot. I'm finding this recent controversy fascinating and I suppose it isn't even getting covered in North America, so oh well...

Oh, and speaking of American Psycho, I just finished Bret Easton Ellis' newest (Lunar Park) and actually reccomend it to all. It starts off as a very funny farce of married suburban life (Think: The corrections) and turns into a nasty little ghost story about a man trying to reconcile the effct that his father has had on the way he lives his like. It's also NOT how you think it is and is actually accessable and interesting. I'm into Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita now (See, Jen - I said I'd read it and I will).

And finally, 5 pictures Roman statues in Bath:

The day in Bath was fabulous. The spa was actually very interesting and I learned a lot which was weird because I'm typically scornful or paranoid of touristy things like it. The walk arond town to the Royal Crescent was the kind of walk that you imagine Ye Olde England is if you've never been here before and The Porter is, I think, the very best pub I've ever been to. I would honestly travel to Bath again just to eat (and drink) there again. Elisabeth's reaction to "They sell Summer Lightning!" was priceless. As was their wholely vegetarian & vegan menu and I can only assume that the live music they have playing daily is equally amazing.

So yay to Bath. It looks like Brighton may be the next spot on our tour of England itinary.

Of course, that'll come after a little stop off in Paris on our way to Rome.

Oh Jesus, is this the same website that started out complaining about how we could arely afford food?

Maybe it isn't so bad to be Yuppie Scum after all...

+++++
(...*sigh* and Angelfire doesn't seem to want to post this entry at all...)
(C'mon! Post! Post! Post!)
(POOOOOOOOSSSST!)
(Oh, I give up. I've got better things to do with my life...)

Bath water
Mood:  suave
Now Playing: BBC 4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

Our train tickets were booked for the 9:46 train. As we were enjoying some green tea, smoothie, scrambly eggs & fried potatoes, I wondered, what time is it? It was 9:15. Not yet in outdoor clothes etc...we wolfed down breakfast and made our train with time to buy a paper.

As we left the station the African spit-roasting queen called to say they decided not to meet us in Bath after all because of the torrential rain forcasted. Great news! We, not having a TV and not caring about such practical things, never checked. But for the moment, the sky was blue.

The train ride was quick, bar the 30 min. stop over at Salisbury station where the blooming hot chocolate scalded my mouth and inspired a string of curses.

The last few stations before Bath Spa revealed a new type of England. Mario-like mountains with stone houses growing out of the sides like mushrooms. Very pretty.

Stepping out of Bath station was so satisfying. Here was something different. Here was something beautiful, relaxed and historic. It was a short distance to the Roman bath and Bath abbey, and after Stephen lined his stomach with a cheese and onion sandwich, we paid up and toured the baths.

There is a one-way tour of the baths, starting on the upper level. As you made your way towards the bath itself, you were led into small exhibits and commentaries, from which I'm sure Stephen will post some pictures of statues and carvings.

We were also provided with handsets, which Stephen really enjoyed:

The whole spa was much more than this bath. I did not realize this before. The spa and the old temple (not surviving-but I believe is where the Abbey was built) went hand in hand. It was a spiritual and sensual experience. There were a few different pools, and some massage rooms/saunas etc. The water is really warm, and some pools more so than others. This one has certain minerals that have left the stone with a red coating:

And here I am enjoying some commentary by Bill Bryson...

The view of Bath Abbey if you're swimming (which you're not allowed to do):

As you leave, you're allowed to try some of the water from a fountain, served by a jolly waiter. I had a sip...not my favourite tast...but Stephen chugged it all down. Although there was a bit of peer pressure involved.

We then strolled through the town (still no sign of rain!) towards the circus and the royal crescent. The circus is town houses built in a circle with 4 roads dividing them. The crescent is much more magnificent:

I think that picture is about half of the crescent.

We had passed a cute restaurant called The Hole in the Wall, on the way to the crescent, and noticed that above it "The Porter" was a vegetarian pub. !!

How exciting for two veggies from Woking. So we happily ordered some Summer Lightning and lunch. As we sat down with our pints in the bay window, the heavens opened. But what did we care?

After eating we made our way back, ducking into shops & markets, and finally into the Bath Abbey:

There was a choir practice at the time which gave it even more atmosphere. The design of the abbey allowed for a lot of natural light, which to me is preferable to dark, sombre, gloomy cathedrals.

Once back in Woking, I went to bed and slept for 12 hours. I didn't even feel that tired!

And today has been chore day as my dad is coming for a visit on Tues night, and then back for the weekend.

One thing I am proud of today is cooking the "rhubarb" chard we got in last week's organic box. Check out the crazy colours in this:

It was chopped, blanched, and then friend with butter & garlic. Surpisingly good.

Monday monday, can't trust that day...

Oh my Cyberdog!
Now Playing: Brain candy soundtrack
Topic: Stephen Says
Well, now that mom has received her order, I've got to admit that I love Cyberdog. Where else can you receive order confirmation e-mails like:

"Your order has received clearance. It is currently receiving the personal attention of a member of our trading station crew. Once processed, it will be scheduled for the earliest possible ignition time, when it will be blasted into orbit with your details as its destination."

and...

"Your order has been successfully launched into orbit today, using the Post Office. To track your order, go to www.royalmail.com, click on 'track & trace', and type in the tracking number(s) listed below.
"Alternatively, just relax and monitor your postbox carefully, as our cyber-speedy delivery often surprises earthlings."

heh.