Oops Topic: Stephen Says
I was going to blog for the sake of blogging but have only just looked at the blog and seen that Elisabeth blogged a few days ago and I hadn't bothered to check. If only real life was like a book, with our blog reaching an exciting crescendo instead of petering out as we go on with other things. Ah well, we've still got 4 weeks here - anything can happen.
Bits & bobs:
-As Elisabeth mentioned, I engaged in a camping trip last weekend. A relatively surreal thing since the camp site was in a field with no privacy between the locations where people pitched their tents. An appropriate metaphor for the British psyche: No real privacy yet everyone going about like they were invisible & alone, doing their best to ignore everyone else around them being irritating and not understanding why they're so stressed out and miserable.
-Again, as mentioned below, we're off to see Robert Lindsay (Our current favoirite tragi-comic actor in the Whole Wide World) in John Osborne's The Entertainer at the Old Vic. It's my first West End play so I'm prepared to be generally irritated by the fartsy crowd. It's the kind of affair that I'm actually going to bother shaving for.
-Last night I bore witness to the kind of event that I will miss when I'm back in Canada: Some dude biking excrutatingly slowly along on the sidewalk, not bothering anyone when a rent-a-cop turns around and starts shouting at him to get off his bike. The dude just turns around & looks at rent-a-cop and continues to amble along, totally ignoring the whole situation while rent-a-cop just stands there, shouting at him until he's out of ear shot. The word 'impotant' comes to mind.
-I'll have some culture shock to deal with when I'm in the T-dot (Does anyone still use that term in anyway other than in an ironic one? Or is ironic use of it even passe?). I was watching a documentary the other day, lamenting how stupid the American accents on the interviewees made them sound, when I realized they were all Canadian (Granted, they were from the Yukon). I was also flummoxed by the constant casual use of the word 'eh?' They were bandying it around the way a Brit uses the word 'cunt.'
What? We Haven't Blogged in a Week! Mood: incredulous Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Sacrebleu! Quel Frommage! (I mean dommage!)
What's been happening that we've been too busy (ahem, lazy) to blog?
Friday night Stephen went camping with his work, then he slept in at work on Sat. night while I went to a BBQ at the South African queen's house. --I got totally blotto, came home and watched Sense and Sensibility, stoicially resisting being sucked in emotional, that is until Emma Thompson miraculously breaks down at the end...ah...sacrebleu I cried and cried.
And as of Monday, Stephen is no longer a full time employee! He's doing some relief shits, but he's out man!
I have 7 days left.
Things to look forward to: Thurs. We have tickets to see Robert Lindsay in The Entertainer at the Old Vic in LDN.
A personal best: Now Playing: Cult of Luna - The Beyond Topic: Stephen Says
We have 2 of our books in the front display of our local Oxfam (The Woman's Health Bible & Michael Palin's Diaries for those who care).
Can't Trust that Day Mood: lyrical Now Playing: BBC Radio4 Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
Another week begins. We've had our porridge oats, and are heading to work. Saturday night our friends drove us into London (2 hours is normal to get from Woking area to Brockley, South London), to go to one of their friends' parties. At 4 am we decided there was no point in going to sleep, but by 5am we were asleep. At 7am we got up and travelled to Camden Town for a scrumptious breakfast at Solo (Inverness Street). That journey took almost 2 hours, which again is normal. But it was worth it. After re-fuelling we took the Northern line three stops north to Hampstead, yes we actually made it! The weather was perfect, and we easily found our way to Hampstead Heath, an impressive expanse of greenland on a hill that overlooks London. We did not see one person without white skin. Lots of very self-important people walking dogs, jogging, etc... we began to seriously fade and didn't stay long. But at least we got a sense of the snobbery and elitism of Hampstead, and saw some beautiful homes.
We headed back to Camden Town to buy some cds and anything else. After we just couldn't stay awake any more, we headed back. Once home we set the alarm and slept a few hours. Then, a quiet evening at home.
1. Haircuts 2. Manicure & pedicure (for Elis) but this usually gets left off the list... 3. Take out the recycling 4. Bring a few bags of books/clothes to Oxfam 5. Fill a suitcase of books, and cart them into Mailbox etc. to ship with Fedex or something. 6. Say goodbeye to my pizanno...it's being collected this afternoon 7. Get on a train & meet friends in LDN for a partay.
Hopefully tomorrow we'll be collected enough to explore Hamsptead...
Weekend Away Mood: not sure Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
I realized I haven't blogged yet about last weekend's visit to see my parents in Vaxjo, Sweden.
All in all it was a very good trip, even though I only had Fri. night, Sat. & Sunday morning.
The travel was uneventful, barring a delayed train in Malmo, where I walked out of the train station and took a picture:
Once arrived at Alvesta, I met my parents & we walked through the quiet Fri. night downtown to a pizza palour, where they make combinations like curry, strawberry and pinneapple. You know, those crazy Swedes!
It was good to relax & chat, and then I tried driving the Saab home driving on the right side of the road. Funny feeling.
Saturday, the weather was beautiful. You can see the flawless sky in this picture of my parent's house.
We ate pancakes for breakfast & then my mother & I walked into town to shop at the market & got side tracked by a patio-cafe, and spend a good while chatting.
Once back, my mom made a Greek salad, and we ate out in the garden.
After lunch my father & I went for a cycle ride through the back streets and ample cycle-paths to reach a cafe/hotel situated on a lake. More coffee & Swedish confectionary, and we chatted for a good long while. Very ideal.
Once back at home, reading in the garden on a hammock. Then I chatted with my mom while she prepared dinner and my father worked in the garden.
Our fresh salmon from the market was delicious.
Sunday I went to church with my parents, saw a very sweet baptism, got all emotional in church singing an Irish folk tune, and then had more cake and coffee in the church basement, where I got to meet some of my parent's friends.
Zipped out a bit early to the train station to catch the 12:12. I got home around 9pm, where Stephen had dinner & a clean flat waiting.
In other news, we are stressed. Stressed because we have to be. We have so much to do, and many things we just won't be able to do before we leave 9th June. This Fri. we're having some friends over, Saturday I must get a hair cut, as it's been since early Feb. since the last one...then "sniff" my co-worker is going to collect my digital piano. "Sob" and I'll be without music for a while. Sunday I want to go to Hampstead Heath with Stephen if the weather's cooperative.
Otherwise, we have lots of things to ship and give away, as well as notice to give to the landlord, trips to plan, people to see, and plans to be made.
I find it impossible to contemplate ever moving away from Toronto once we're settled in. Moving sucks!
Yet more comment on the Virginia school shootings Topic: Stephen Says
A part of me is loath to wade into the morass of commentary on this subject, for the most part due to the fact that the BBC is reporting that the shooting is being most widely dealt with via millions of blogs, so I’m committing the self-same act that I’m criticizing.
I’m also loath to wade into this subject because the point that 30 people murdered in a mass killing such as this is considered a ‘good day in Baghdad’ is being made over and over again on blogs as well; the implicit message being: Western lives are more important than non-Western lives.
(The secondary message being that global coverage of what is, essentially, a local news story serves as a means to bury more relevant news that doesn’t have such sensational aspects.)
But seeing as it’s the lead story in America, Canada, Great Britain and, I’m sure numerous other countries, it bears comment because once again, the root cause of the shooting will not be explored, giving way to sensational testimonies and simplistic tales of survival (The Triumph of Good over Evil) and the ultimate vilification (Most certainly deserved) of the perpetrator. I’m certain that someone in Hollywood is already drafting next-seasons moving of the week, considering Ryan Gosling as the lead.
So since the blame game is already starting, I’d like to throw my hat into the arena and blame Michael Moore. After all, he made a movie about school shootings that the killer probably saw (Or was at least aware of) and this probably planted the idea in his head. Sure, this is wild, sensational speculation, but so is most of what I’ve heard and read this morning.
bla bla bla Topic: Stephen Says
Need proof that we brought far too much with us to England? I was packing up my trusty Canadian winter boots today (That I've never needed to wear) and found a lightbulb stuffed into one. Which would mean that today was the first time that I've actually touched the boots wince we moved to Woking, oh, 3 years ago.
blah Now Playing: Ministry - Rio Grande Blood Topic: Stephen Says
Elisabeth's in Sweden for the weekend, I'm wallowing in crapulance (Not really - it's sad how little my life alters when she's not around) and so I leave you with the best band to come out of Sweden since Abba (According to me):
Barclays visa folly's pt.2 Topic: Stephen Says
Some of you may remember the stupidity I had to face last week when I tried to pay my Visa and was denied this pleasure because I lacked the appropriate identification...
So today:
I went to Barclays to pay off the 480 pounds on my Visa, passport in hand, lined up, waited in line and...
The person in front of me went up to pay his Visa and I overheard him talking to the casheer how he'd brought in extra ID for it because of problems he's had in the past trying to pay it off. He said something like "This really is a silly thing to have to do, you know."
And she said "I know it makes no sense. We try not to follow it because it's so silly. But it's up to each tellers perogative."
I paid my Visa and didn't have to show my passport.
The moral: Some bank tellers are real big assholes.
incredulous
lyrical
happy
not sure
