Condensation Conversation
Mood:  lazy
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

Niagra Falls is streeming down our windows this morning, despite the dehumidifyer. This means that the temperature outside is cold enough to feel like Feb. in England. Before I go to work, I'll mop up the pool of water that when overflows, trickles into all of our electrical equipment.

To catch up the last few days...over the weekend we went out with Stephen's co-workers, Stephen then worked and I chilled out.

Today we're going to see The Dumb Waiter by H. Pinter in London. We're taking the fellow that I've been tutoring.

Not much more to say right now...

White Rabbits!
Now Playing: See below
Topic: Stephen Says
I don't know if anyone out there reading this is into the whole doom metal/ math rock/ post metal scene (Of which there are, as far as I can tell exactly 4 bands of any note) But holy shit, Isis is the best thing since sliced bread (Or at least Neurosis) and is definitely this seasons black. Just picked up thir new album "In the Absence of Truth" and it's about to garner heavy airplay on our CD player much to, I'm sure, Elisabeth's displeasure. Their previous album "Panopticon" is also pretty much holy shit amazing.

And on a completely seperate musical vein, I can't stress how amazing The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is. Their album "The Secet of Life" is just jaw droppingly good and features the most amazing versions of classics like Miss Dyno-mite, Hard to Handle and Le Freak performed by a ukulele orchestra that you'll ever hear. If you want to take a chance on something totally random that will knock your socks off, this is the most important thing you'll buy this month.

It's team building day tomorrow so if I remember, I'll bring the camera so you can see lots of pictures of me and Elisabeth making an ass out of ourselves.

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away?
Mood:  silly
Now Playing: No Means No (Dance of the Headless Borgeouise)
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

Stephen has just eaten an apple in one bite. A whole apple. He just put it into his mouth and ate core, pips, stem and all.

But why? We'll never know.

Winding down
Now Playing: random 'new rave' songs
Topic: Stephen Says
Huh. It feels like the blog is winding down a little bit. We always planned for it to be a 5 year project that spanned our five years in England, however over the last 6-8 weeks there hasn't been much activity either from Elisabeth and myself or from our visitors (down from over 300 a day [yikes!] to twenty-four [mostly Elisabeth and myself]). So what does this mean?

Does the blog have a mind of its own and is it telling us something?

As some of you out there may be aware, I'm going to be effectively demoted in April (or earlier) thanks to one of my favorite pieces of beaurocratic jargon: 'management inefficiency.' In other words, had upper management been efficient and confirmed my post months ago instead of dragging their feet, forgetting and {insert any other random excuse in here}, and I'm losing my position to someone who is less skilled and appropriate for the position.

As it is, I'm 95% likely to be leaving the job when she comes in since I've been effectively rendered useless(I'm using the time in Egypt to formalize my final decision - I don't want to be too spontanious with this - that's what got us coming to England in the first place). And since that means that I'll have to find a job in our last year here (Which will be tedious and I'd only most likely be there for a maximum of 9 months anyway) and since Elisabeth isn't exactly married to her job, there's no reason why we don't move back to Canada this spring/ summer.

Elisabeth has been considering this longer than I have and says it would be amazingly easy to just pack up and go (keep in mind that she works in shipping) with just a few weeks notice.

The downside is that we've started to put down roots here and we'll really miss our friends but that's really the only negative. Anyway, things to ponder...

Bad Luck...
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
I didn't pass the driving test. Yes, a few tears are split, but I will retake the test in about 3 weeks.

I would have passed the test if I hadn't crossed a padestrian crossing when pedestrians were waiting to cross.

Why did I cross it? Well there were two parked lorries obstructing my view on either side. Which also meant the lorry was obstructing my lane, and it took me a long time to get an opening to move forward...so of course I wasn't planning on having to stop once I had the opportunity to move.

But see, there I am, a dangerous driver, and going over that zebra crossing was an automatic fail.

Otherwise, I did everything well enough to pass.

Shit eh?

Well, hopefully it'll make me a safer driver, and I will take a few more lessons to sharpen my skills before taking the test again...I will then treasure this license like no license before...you'd think that driving for 5 years in North America would have given me the skills necessary to pass a driving test in England...

It Snowed in Surrey!
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: AC Newman
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Check out these pictures, it's actually snowed in England in winter!

It was really exciting to wake up and all of a sudden see snow...of course it reminded us of home.

And it all melted by mid-day....boo hoo. Hopefully the weather will be good tomorrow morning as I have my driving test...confident that I am prepared and a competant driver...but there's always that element of f-ing up for no reason...but I'm sure it'll be fine.

January's almost over, we've had snow, and life is good.

I am the Biggest Asshole in the World
Mood:  down
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
I am the Biggest Assohole in the World (BAW). Why?

I went to see Happy Days at the National Theatre Last Night and forgot to turn off my phone.

And thank the Lord above, no one call, no one sent a text message...but it COULD have happened. I would have been mortified and scarred for the rest of my life. Nevermind have completely ruined one of the best pieces of theatre I have ever seen.

Happy Days, but Samuel Beckett is often classified as an "existentialist" piece of theatre, but could just as easily be classified as a realist piece of theatre.

Ok, so a women is burried up to her waist in earth for the first half, and up to her head in the second half, but take away the visual of the earth, and ask yourself, how many people do you know (including yourself) are restricted, confined and alone? What realities do you try to ignore in order to just "get on with it?"

And Fiona Shaw, the main (and almost only) actor, was sublime. Such command, awareness and humour...I feel priviledged to have witnessed her at work.

Anyway, Stephen's off to do a sleep-in at work, and I'm just bumming along....

stuff pt. 39787473c in an endless series of stuff
Topic: Stephen Says
It's been a while since the last update...

Me: Been working a lot. Management kinda sucks because it's a headache and a half. The Infiltrator hasn't started yet and today was, technically, her deadline so I should find out whether I've been demoted (Screwed over) this Saturday, Sunday or Monday. All days that I'm working (Tuesday too). Elisabeth is majorly pissed off that today, on my day off, I was woken up at 9:15AM, asking if I could come in to work (I said no) and, within seconds of switching my phone back on after seeing a play tonight at 9PM (see below), I was rung by work asking me to solve a problem (Which I deferred).

She: Is working and has a million and one driving lessons this weekend (2, actually) and her test is on Thursday. Probably had more to say but I'll let her say it. Whenever.

We saw a fascinating version of Sarah Kane's Blasted tonight. follow the link for details about it that I don't feel like getting into. As a play it was okay but disappointing. As a play that incorpoates access for blind, deaf and non-disabled people, it was a rousing success. If you've ever wanted to see a play where a man is raped with the stump of another mans severed leg, this is the show for you.

Nothing more to say other than London sucks.
Deal with it.
rock'n roll.

Rainy Insaney
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: BBC Radio 4
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries

Thank you to those who submitted their own pizza poetry. I think this is the start of something really big.

It's raining pretty hard this morning and I can't decide whether cycling or walking (with a brolly) will get me to work drier.

RANT: It is illegal to cycle on the sidewalk in England. However, sometimes it is dangerous, or impossible to cross traffic on Woking's mean streets. So for most of my journey between work and home, I ride on the road (after almost being fined 30 pounds for being on the sidewalk--I'm not taking my chances...much). But there is one section...two blocks in fact, where I ride on the pavement so I can whizz around the corner into our street, and avoid the busy road.

Now, it seems that whenever I arrive at this point on the sidewalk, there are a million bitter pedestrians, who are so incredulous that I am cycling on the pavement that they don't make any room so I must wait...ok fine.. I don't mind. But yesterday, when I left the sidewalk and cycled on the grass section adjacent, one pedestrian stopped theatrically and made huge sweeping arm gestures as if my presence was simply ludicrous.

The main thing that bothers me though, is that so many people are bothered by such a trivial, inconsequential event. Why do people let this bother them, and why does it bother me?

Going to work...

Bike Ride
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Here are some pictures from our bike ride along the Basingstoke canal. An uneventful trip...no pubs, no villages...just tow-path. But, it was sunny!