Things I'd like to do...

Learning how to cook better lately has motivated me to compile a lost of other things I'd like to do/do better:

• Yoga
• Take a photo class
• Re-learn French, and do it better this time
• Take up gardening (landscape, plant some herbs & veg)

Halloween in London

Here's my gorgeous boyfriend, carving his first halloween pumpkin. He always gets shy when I call him gorgeous---rolls his eyes and calls me blind, silly man...

We went to a Halloween party Saturday night (my costume above). It was a bit lame--bunch of peeps making some attempt at costumes which ended up being none too creative, but I guess you can't blame them. Little did I know before coming over here that Halloween is essentially an American holiday, as far as being celebrated. The Australians, much like the Brits, don't do trick or treating or carve pumpkins much (at least Steve never has; the younger generation here are beginning to), therefore the peeps at this Halloween party didn't quite have the spirit of Halloween that we do. I don't think it is as 'magical' for them as they don't have the childhood memories to fall back on. It was more like a big drunk-fest, where, like everywhere else in Britain, the floor was covered in beer and everyone was staggering around by 11pm:(

British Workplace Oddities

1) The kitchen is labeled 'Tea Point'.

2) The fire hose closet has a sign on it which says: 'Do not enter. Asbestos closet'.

What's on the shelf

I haven't read anything good for a long while, so decided to pick up a few books, to learn about Australia and expat experiences in general. Here's what I'm reading:

• The Tree of Man
• A Secret Country
• Rabbit-proof Fence
• Expat: Women's True Tales of Life Abroad

Could also do with some recommendations, so if anyone has any... I'm also considering taking on a project---gathering short essays from expats to Australia and editing a book. Not sure it is something I could get published, although I have seen and read similar things for other countries. I'm still working on the criteria for submissions and I have to figure out how to even start going about getting something published. It would most likely be a couple of years before it would be finished, partially due to the fact that I need some time in Australia myself before I can do this credibly!

What I'm doing tonight...

"Ever feel like you’re constantly queuing for overpriced lunches that taste bad? What about being apologized to by a machine? How about turning up to a 24-hour supermarket, which is closed on Sundays, to find no bread on the shelves? Welcome to Brokeback Britain.

Australian Pete Jonas and American Erich McElroy moved to the UK with high expectations. They never imagined that the once mighty empire of Great Britain would be so, well, broken."

http://www.thecomedytree.com/brokebackbritain/

Movies

I've seen five movies in about the last month; a new record for me.

• Volver (New film by Pedro Almodovar. Not as fantastic as Talk to Her, but a definite thumbs up.)
• Clerks II (Exceptionally crude at times, but hysterical. I'm not sure the Brits in the cinema quite appreciated the humour, but I was roaring.)
• Children of Men (Not out in the States yet. For some reason, this dismal and uneventful film is coming out on xmas day. Two words: don't bother.)
• The Notorious Bettie Page (Interesting, but it would have to be of interest to you ahead of time.)
• The Queen (Eh, so-so. Kind of like a tabloid paper turned into a film.)

Who would have thought...

of bbq sauce and chili powder in pasta sauce. Fantastic! I've just finished my 4th meal in 2 days of pasta with meat sauce...or spaghetti bolognese as they seem to refer to it here, which is on about every menu around. Anyhoo, this was no take away or restaurant meal, but something made from scratch by the man on Sunday. I ask again---why do I cook?

Being a tourist in London

So, I was reminded this past weekend of a horribly annoying little song I learned while in Girl Scouts...something to the effect of:

'Make new friends but keep the old
Some are silver and the other gold.'

Lame, ain't it? Anyway, one of my best girlfriends ended up coming to London last minute for the weekend. It was the most time we've spent together in many, many years...and we got to wander around as tourists during the day and have drinks altogether including our men at night. No one can replace an old friend...

How did this country rule the world?

I have no idea how England managed to have an empire at one point in history, given how inefficient things are run here, overall. I have just, after a month, gotten a long term temp assignment to last me through Christmas. This isn't too unusual, but the way in which things have gone with the temp agencies has been a bit mind-boggling. They tend to call me with a job description to see if I am interested, then if I am, put my CV forward to the company. If the company is interested, they will want to interview me, even sometimes for positions lasting only two weeks! Whether they want to interview or not, companies take up to a week to decide who they want for the positon(s). It's a horribly inefficient way of doing things. Thankfully, after registering with eight different agencies, I found one that works well and they found me something...working for an organisation which handles NHS problems. NHS is the socialised healthcare system here, by the way. Now, the problems I mention include surgeries in which the wrong leg or breast is cut off. Need I say more?

A call for recipes

Hi all! Still doing temp work and having some chances to explore London. Got to sneak into an Australians only gathering with Steve this past Sunday (free beer and meat pies...although to be honest, the whole meat pie thing befuddles me). Also finally found a semi-Mexican restaurant with fantastic margaritas and a unique cinema (a.k.a. movie theatre). Going to see a play called the Vegemite Tales; another Australian thing...hopefully I'll get the humour;)

I'm running out of interesting things to cook, so if anyone is willing to post some recipes for me....anything hearty, healthy, spicy or Mexican...or just plain good & simple...