I don't even know how I managed to miss this, but there is a real, fully-stocked, honest-to-God Italian deli on my street. It has fresh mozzerella, about 15 varieties of pandoro and panettone, and
more types ofBarilla pasta than I've ever seen before. AND it's less than half a block from where I live. I'm so excited I don't even know what to say. That is all.
= :)
Jan 21, 2006
Jan 19, 2006
I had a winning lottery ticket...
...for the EuroMillions £73million lottery last weekend. Of course, the two paltry matching numbers won me a grand total of £8, which I promptly blew on ready meals (mmm, Rogan Josh) from Sainsbury's. But I think it sounds better the first way I said it.
= :)
= :)
Jan 12, 2006
Back in the U(SS)K
Hey bitches, I'm back. Finally, I know. I've stopped posting so often because:
a. England isn't really that new and cool anymore
b. I hate typing
c. I read other people's blogs and get intimidated because they're funnier than me.
d. Who really cares what goes on in my life, anyway?
Anyway, went home for Christmas and New Year, which was actually really nice. For one thing, I didn't think I missed the US so much. And by "the US," I might just mean my nice warm house and the homecooked meals that come along with it. I got fed SO WELL. Coming back here is a bit of a letdown, really - but should help with my much-needed post-holiday diet. Yummy. :
Christmas was just as fun as always - had a delicious faux-traditional-Italian Christmas Eve dinner with Grandma and Grandpa (including fried shrimp, linguine with clam sauce, and king crab legs...mmmm) and then got all dolled up for the yearly fashion show, a.k.a. Midnight Mass at St. Michael's. Ah, good old St. Michael's. This Christmas Mass was by far the most hilarious church service I had ever been to, made no easier by the fact that Hilary and Eric came along to add to the giggling. The priest kept referring to Jesus being born in a cave (Is it just me, or was it a stable?), the "orchestra" was embarassingly out of tune, and the cantor forgot a verse of a song, so just stopped with a croaking sound and remained quiet for the rest of the song.
Ok, so not hilarious hilarious, (although you really had to be there) but it's church. Hey, you've got to make your own fun. :P Add that to a successful turn down the runway (the aisle to get communion, so christened by my sister because everyone from high school is there and we're all craning our necks to see who got fat and/or ugly) and a surprise appearance by a notorious high school classmate turned model/actress/Cheesecake Factory waitress and I would say the night turned out well. Good times.
Christmas consisted of so much more eating - make it stop! - and the entire family gathering around the table to play some kind of game where you have to describe a word without using the word. Much wild gesturing and hilarity ensued. Proof again that my family is crazy. Check out pictures here:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=u54fr1b.4wmsrzr3&x=1&y=cjmdft
I was a little worried about New Year's since I didn't have any solid plans, but I had a great time. First off to Danielle's for dinner, which is just like eating with my own family, for all the hugs and kisses I get. :) Then at 11, I rushed off to Virginia's inspired party, held in the basement of the Clark VFW, complete with plenty of cheap champagne, disco ball and amazing playlist. Oh, and it was also a dress-up party. It was like a sweet sixteen on crack, and it was amazing. For pics, check out http://vpatrone.shutterfly.com. (Just scroll past the first few pictures and you'll get to the party. I'm in a couple towards the end.) Fantastic.
Came back to London last week and am still getting used to the cloudiness - where did the sun go? But no matter - am off to Spain this weekend - yaay! Also, I got a new flat. Updates soon!
a. England isn't really that new and cool anymore
b. I hate typing
c. I read other people's blogs and get intimidated because they're funnier than me.
d. Who really cares what goes on in my life, anyway?
Anyway, went home for Christmas and New Year, which was actually really nice. For one thing, I didn't think I missed the US so much. And by "the US," I might just mean my nice warm house and the homecooked meals that come along with it. I got fed SO WELL. Coming back here is a bit of a letdown, really - but should help with my much-needed post-holiday diet. Yummy. :
Christmas was just as fun as always - had a delicious faux-traditional-Italian Christmas Eve dinner with Grandma and Grandpa (including fried shrimp, linguine with clam sauce, and king crab legs...mmmm) and then got all dolled up for the yearly fashion show, a.k.a. Midnight Mass at St. Michael's. Ah, good old St. Michael's. This Christmas Mass was by far the most hilarious church service I had ever been to, made no easier by the fact that Hilary and Eric came along to add to the giggling. The priest kept referring to Jesus being born in a cave (Is it just me, or was it a stable?), the "orchestra" was embarassingly out of tune, and the cantor forgot a verse of a song, so just stopped with a croaking sound and remained quiet for the rest of the song.
Ok, so not hilarious hilarious, (although you really had to be there) but it's church. Hey, you've got to make your own fun. :P Add that to a successful turn down the runway (the aisle to get communion, so christened by my sister because everyone from high school is there and we're all craning our necks to see who got fat and/or ugly) and a surprise appearance by a notorious high school classmate turned model/actress/Cheesecake Factory waitress and I would say the night turned out well. Good times.
Christmas consisted of so much more eating - make it stop! - and the entire family gathering around the table to play some kind of game where you have to describe a word without using the word. Much wild gesturing and hilarity ensued. Proof again that my family is crazy. Check out pictures here:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=u54fr1b.4wmsrzr3&x=1&y=cjmdft
I was a little worried about New Year's since I didn't have any solid plans, but I had a great time. First off to Danielle's for dinner, which is just like eating with my own family, for all the hugs and kisses I get. :) Then at 11, I rushed off to Virginia's inspired party, held in the basement of the Clark VFW, complete with plenty of cheap champagne, disco ball and amazing playlist. Oh, and it was also a dress-up party. It was like a sweet sixteen on crack, and it was amazing. For pics, check out http://vpatrone.shutterfly.com. (Just scroll past the first few pictures and you'll get to the party. I'm in a couple towards the end.) Fantastic.
Came back to London last week and am still getting used to the cloudiness - where did the sun go? But no matter - am off to Spain this weekend - yaay! Also, I got a new flat. Updates soon!
Dec 9, 2005
Thanksgiving and a Karaoke Birthday
Well, despite all my misgivings about my first attempt to cook a 15-lb turkey, Thanksgiving turned out impressively well. Thanks to days of preparation and some wonderful assistant cooks (or just Nic, really), there was quite an impressive spread for Thanksgiving dinner - which is good, considering I had 18 people to feed. It was a really fabulous party - we all got stuffed and tired and happy - just like Thanksgiving! - and everyone got along - not like Thanksgiving at all. :P It was actually really great - I was worried about my first Thanksgiving away from my mom's delcious feast, but I think I did a pretty decent job attempting it myself. I have pictures of my massive table o'food, but I need to set them up first. Link to come.
I spent so much time preparing for Thanksgiving, that I almost forgot about my birthday, but it ended up being tons of fun as well. Eric flew over to London for the weekend, and in the middle of theater extravaganza number 2, we had a fun little celebration for my birthday. After my £5 Vidal Sassoon Academy haircut disaster, we gathered at the house for pizza and lots of wine. Since everyone else in my house would apparently rather lounge on the couch than go out, I only went out with Nic, Eric, and Jenny, but it was fabulous. :P We headed out to this local Greek restaurant (a REAL one, Denis) to do karaoke, but they weren't starting till about midnight. We went to the World's End - this huge pub - to kill some time, and for some reason, they started playing songs from Dirty Dancing, Aretha Franklin, etc. It was fantabulous. We were dancing and singing at the top of our lungs and generally making a scene. Then some of Nic's friends came bearing balloons and we headed off to karaoke. Apparently the restaurant was hosting this corporate christmas party and we completely crashed it. We goaded people on and managed to get a couple of songs in ourselves before they asked us to buy drinks or leave. Being cheap as always, leave we did, and we headed up the street to Marathon, which is a kebab shop that becomes a kind of speakeasy at night with live music. It's hilarious - their liquor license is illegal, so if you ask them about the music at the front of the shop (which looks just like any other greasy food place), they get all shift-eyed and start talking in code. A couple of drinks and plates of greasy chips later, we were ready to call it a night. So a pretty good birthday, overall.
OH. AND I saw Jeff from Coupling. First celebrity sighting in London, and definitely the high point of my day.
= :)
I spent so much time preparing for Thanksgiving, that I almost forgot about my birthday, but it ended up being tons of fun as well. Eric flew over to London for the weekend, and in the middle of theater extravaganza number 2, we had a fun little celebration for my birthday. After my £5 Vidal Sassoon Academy haircut disaster, we gathered at the house for pizza and lots of wine. Since everyone else in my house would apparently rather lounge on the couch than go out, I only went out with Nic, Eric, and Jenny, but it was fabulous. :P We headed out to this local Greek restaurant (a REAL one, Denis) to do karaoke, but they weren't starting till about midnight. We went to the World's End - this huge pub - to kill some time, and for some reason, they started playing songs from Dirty Dancing, Aretha Franklin, etc. It was fantabulous. We were dancing and singing at the top of our lungs and generally making a scene. Then some of Nic's friends came bearing balloons and we headed off to karaoke. Apparently the restaurant was hosting this corporate christmas party and we completely crashed it. We goaded people on and managed to get a couple of songs in ourselves before they asked us to buy drinks or leave. Being cheap as always, leave we did, and we headed up the street to Marathon, which is a kebab shop that becomes a kind of speakeasy at night with live music. It's hilarious - their liquor license is illegal, so if you ask them about the music at the front of the shop (which looks just like any other greasy food place), they get all shift-eyed and start talking in code. A couple of drinks and plates of greasy chips later, we were ready to call it a night. So a pretty good birthday, overall.
OH. AND I saw Jeff from Coupling. First celebrity sighting in London, and definitely the high point of my day.
= :)
Nov 25, 2005
Autumn in Paris
Hi Everyone -
Finally, here's my post on Paris - just after I've completely forgotten all the details. :P But I'll dig into my memory to try and recreate an accurate description.
I went to Paris in October with my friend Pia from work. We took the Eurostar, which is officially the most civilized way to travel. You leave from the city center and arrive in the city center. You travel in a roomy, sunny train, and get to Paris within three hours. Wonderful.
So we get to Paris, and it's about 15 degrees hotter than it is in London and sunny - absolutely gorgeous. In fact, practically the entire weekend was sunny and warm, which made for some great sightseeing. It was almost 70 degrees 2 days in a row - and this is in the middle of October!
We arrive at our hotel (the charmingly named Hotel Perfect, graciously suggested by Kristel), and find that they think Pia and I are some kind of couple, since we have a room outfitted with one double bed. Luckily, they can offer us twin beds the next day, so we decide to cope. On the good side, the room has those fabulous French windows that open out onto a balcony in the front of the hotel. Ah, Paris!
That night, we headed down for a romantic stroll by the river to see the city at night. We saw the Opera House (yaay HAA 11), and then walked along the river for a bit. After trying a ridiculously busy touristy place recommended by someone at work, we ended up at a wonderful little Italian restaurant near our hotel, where we had wine and linguine with clam sauce...mmmm. You can tell already that this trip was all about food. :P
The next day we went up to Sacre Coeur to see the amazing view from the top of the hill. You can see the entire city, and the cathedral isn't half bad, either. :P Then off to the Pompidou Center (HAA 11!), where we saw some amazing modern art, enjoyed more views of the city, and traveled through the "gerbil tubes" on the outside of the building. Then Notre Dame (requisite pose outside) and some amazing ice cream, which we ate on the Seine. That night we went to a brasserie recommended by my mom's friend, where I was talked out of getting pig hooves by Pia. :( I got my french onion soup, though. :)
Monday was a big day - in the morning, we went off to the Eiffel Tower. It was pretty much what I expected, but the views were really amazing. Plus it was cool to be so close to such a famous structure, even though I always thought it was in the middle of the city center. it's not...it's actually a bit down the river. sadness. Then off for what Let's Go quoted Lenny Kravitz as saying it was "the best falafel in the world". Hm. But it was ridiculously delicious (and cheap!) all the same. Yaay Let's Go!
Finding the best falafel in the world led us to La Marais, Paris' Jewish neighborhood, which drove me into a tizzy with all its bakeries and bagel shops. Yaay! We picked up some of the best challah I've ever had and took it off to the Cimitiere (sp) Pere Lachaise, which was this old, picturesque cemetery on a hill a little out of the center. All sorts of famous people are buried there, like Chopin and Oscar Wilde, and it really reminded me of Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA (which I recommend highly). We walked there for a while, saw Jim Morrison's grave (surprisingly small, but of course surrounded by tourists), and enjoyed the quiet of the winding stone paths for a bit. Then off to the Champs-Elysees to see the arch at night (pretty) and back to La Marais for some delicious tapas at a jazz club. (Where, unfortunately, all the jazz was in the basement for an additional - and expensive - fee. boo.) And sooooo much wine. Yummm. I love France.
Up bright and early Monday morning to check out the Musee D'Orsay, which is a museum with a collection of mostly impressionist paintings, including Monet, Manet, and all the other French painters who don't sound like each other. I saw Olympia, which was cool (yaay sophomore seminar!) and some incredible Art Nouveau furniture and decorative arts. Also, the building itself is amazing - it used to be a rail station and has this huge central space with a soaring glass ceiling. I think the architects deserve at least as much credit as some of the painters in the museum.
We wanted to take a quick little trip back to La Marais for some more challah bread, but it was closed. Boo. But no matter - I got some deliciously oozy french pastry instead, and all was well.
And of course no European trip would be complete without a requisite mad dash for a train. After assuring me that our tickets were for 6:30, Pia nervously informed me that they were in fact for 6:00, and that was actually 15 minutes from now. Bear in mind that our hotel was about a 10 minute walk from the station, and then imagine our mad dash (with luggage), through the streets of Paris, dodging the crazy drivers and angry pedestrians. Good times.
When we got to the station - with about 8 minutes to spare - we ran to the Eurostar check in, and presented our passports for approval. Although we were obviously in a rush, panting for breath and looking flushed and ACTUALLY TELLING THE GUY WE WERE GOING TO MISS OUR TRAIN, the French passport officer just glanced at us calmly and kept on talking to his friend, stamping our passports after what seemed like forever. Yaay, the French.
Then, after dashing our way through form-writing, question-answering, and metal-detecting, we jumped on the train and into our seats...an entire minute before the train pulled out of the station. That was fun.
A couple of hours later, we arrived in london, where we parted ways, none too happy to be on our own, I think. :P Let's just say our travelling styles are radically different. And perhaps the way we communicate our feelings. And our capacity for passive-aggressive behavior. I might start thinking about travelling alone.
Ok, this is going on far too long. I think I come off as some food-obsessed maniac, but then again, that's pretty accurate, isn't it? :P Hope you enjoyed the blog...below is the link for the accompanying pictures.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=u54fr1b.5ngffh1v&x=1&y=bocbek
To everyone recovering from your Thanksgving binges, enjoy your leftovers for me! My Thanksgiving adventure is set for this Saturday - stay tuned for reports of how that goes.
= :)
Finally, here's my post on Paris - just after I've completely forgotten all the details. :P But I'll dig into my memory to try and recreate an accurate description.
I went to Paris in October with my friend Pia from work. We took the Eurostar, which is officially the most civilized way to travel. You leave from the city center and arrive in the city center. You travel in a roomy, sunny train, and get to Paris within three hours. Wonderful.
So we get to Paris, and it's about 15 degrees hotter than it is in London and sunny - absolutely gorgeous. In fact, practically the entire weekend was sunny and warm, which made for some great sightseeing. It was almost 70 degrees 2 days in a row - and this is in the middle of October!
We arrive at our hotel (the charmingly named Hotel Perfect, graciously suggested by Kristel), and find that they think Pia and I are some kind of couple, since we have a room outfitted with one double bed. Luckily, they can offer us twin beds the next day, so we decide to cope. On the good side, the room has those fabulous French windows that open out onto a balcony in the front of the hotel. Ah, Paris!
That night, we headed down for a romantic stroll by the river to see the city at night. We saw the Opera House (yaay HAA 11), and then walked along the river for a bit. After trying a ridiculously busy touristy place recommended by someone at work, we ended up at a wonderful little Italian restaurant near our hotel, where we had wine and linguine with clam sauce...mmmm. You can tell already that this trip was all about food. :P
The next day we went up to Sacre Coeur to see the amazing view from the top of the hill. You can see the entire city, and the cathedral isn't half bad, either. :P Then off to the Pompidou Center (HAA 11!), where we saw some amazing modern art, enjoyed more views of the city, and traveled through the "gerbil tubes" on the outside of the building. Then Notre Dame (requisite pose outside) and some amazing ice cream, which we ate on the Seine. That night we went to a brasserie recommended by my mom's friend, where I was talked out of getting pig hooves by Pia. :( I got my french onion soup, though. :)
Monday was a big day - in the morning, we went off to the Eiffel Tower. It was pretty much what I expected, but the views were really amazing. Plus it was cool to be so close to such a famous structure, even though I always thought it was in the middle of the city center. it's not...it's actually a bit down the river. sadness. Then off for what Let's Go quoted Lenny Kravitz as saying it was "the best falafel in the world". Hm. But it was ridiculously delicious (and cheap!) all the same. Yaay Let's Go!
Finding the best falafel in the world led us to La Marais, Paris' Jewish neighborhood, which drove me into a tizzy with all its bakeries and bagel shops. Yaay! We picked up some of the best challah I've ever had and took it off to the Cimitiere (sp) Pere Lachaise, which was this old, picturesque cemetery on a hill a little out of the center. All sorts of famous people are buried there, like Chopin and Oscar Wilde, and it really reminded me of Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA (which I recommend highly). We walked there for a while, saw Jim Morrison's grave (surprisingly small, but of course surrounded by tourists), and enjoyed the quiet of the winding stone paths for a bit. Then off to the Champs-Elysees to see the arch at night (pretty) and back to La Marais for some delicious tapas at a jazz club. (Where, unfortunately, all the jazz was in the basement for an additional - and expensive - fee. boo.) And sooooo much wine. Yummm. I love France.
Up bright and early Monday morning to check out the Musee D'Orsay, which is a museum with a collection of mostly impressionist paintings, including Monet, Manet, and all the other French painters who don't sound like each other. I saw Olympia, which was cool (yaay sophomore seminar!) and some incredible Art Nouveau furniture and decorative arts. Also, the building itself is amazing - it used to be a rail station and has this huge central space with a soaring glass ceiling. I think the architects deserve at least as much credit as some of the painters in the museum.
We wanted to take a quick little trip back to La Marais for some more challah bread, but it was closed. Boo. But no matter - I got some deliciously oozy french pastry instead, and all was well.
And of course no European trip would be complete without a requisite mad dash for a train. After assuring me that our tickets were for 6:30, Pia nervously informed me that they were in fact for 6:00, and that was actually 15 minutes from now. Bear in mind that our hotel was about a 10 minute walk from the station, and then imagine our mad dash (with luggage), through the streets of Paris, dodging the crazy drivers and angry pedestrians. Good times.
When we got to the station - with about 8 minutes to spare - we ran to the Eurostar check in, and presented our passports for approval. Although we were obviously in a rush, panting for breath and looking flushed and ACTUALLY TELLING THE GUY WE WERE GOING TO MISS OUR TRAIN, the French passport officer just glanced at us calmly and kept on talking to his friend, stamping our passports after what seemed like forever. Yaay, the French.
Then, after dashing our way through form-writing, question-answering, and metal-detecting, we jumped on the train and into our seats...an entire minute before the train pulled out of the station. That was fun.
A couple of hours later, we arrived in london, where we parted ways, none too happy to be on our own, I think. :P Let's just say our travelling styles are radically different. And perhaps the way we communicate our feelings. And our capacity for passive-aggressive behavior. I might start thinking about travelling alone.
Ok, this is going on far too long. I think I come off as some food-obsessed maniac, but then again, that's pretty accurate, isn't it? :P Hope you enjoyed the blog...below is the link for the accompanying pictures.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=u54fr1b.5ngffh1v&x=1&y=bocbek
To everyone recovering from your Thanksgving binges, enjoy your leftovers for me! My Thanksgiving adventure is set for this Saturday - stay tuned for reports of how that goes.
= :)
Oct 31, 2005
Wine Show!
This weekend I went to a huge wine show with Malinda, where we tasted more wines than I can remember. I learned how to properly taste a wine (but I didn't spit any out...not going to waste that!), I found a white that I actually enjoyed (Viognier), and came home laden with 5 bottles of fabulous, inexpensive wine. And if you live in the U.S. and can find this wine, splurge on it - it's absolutely amazing.
http://www.eosvintage.com/unistore/product-info.fsp fsp:unistore: product-id=mnffjnfdiheefboffendmjomdjalihmnmajdmmmo&return-to=/ unistore/eosreservewines.fsp
Also, I saw Broken Flowers, which was ok (you have to like Bill Murray to see this film, which, luckily, I do), and Wallace and Gromit, which was FANTABULOUS. Yaay bunnies.
Paris to come soon, I promise!
= :)
P.S. Happy Halloween!!
http://www.eosvintage.com/unistore/product-info.fsp fsp:unistore: product-id=mnffjnfdiheefboffendmjomdjalihmnmajdmmmo&return-to=/ unistore/eosreservewines.fsp
Also, I saw Broken Flowers, which was ok (you have to like Bill Murray to see this film, which, luckily, I do), and Wallace and Gromit, which was FANTABULOUS. Yaay bunnies.
Paris to come soon, I promise!
= :)
P.S. Happy Halloween!!
Oct 27, 2005
Today is sunny and 65 degrees...
...but in anticipation of the dreary winter days yet to come (Daylight Savings Time is this weekend!), I've gone back to the tried-and-true, emo-tinged title for my blog. Gotta love it. Although, as my experience of British traditions grows, I may have to change it to something having to do with puddings and pubs, or the like.
I'm still working on editing the Paris pics and work is particularly busy, so I'll provide the crowds with something to keep them satisfied in the meantime (I can't exactly let Evil Kanevil go unfulfilled, can I?)
Here are pics of my last weekend in Cambridge, where we ate yummy sausages claiming to be "hot dogs," went punting, consumed several bottles of wine, and went to see Nic's dad's band play a gig. All in all, a pretty good day.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=u54fr1b.6c2zd0w3&x=0&y=ukf8o7
= :)
I'm still working on editing the Paris pics and work is particularly busy, so I'll provide the crowds with something to keep them satisfied in the meantime (I can't exactly let Evil Kanevil go unfulfilled, can I?)
Here are pics of my last weekend in Cambridge, where we ate yummy sausages claiming to be "hot dogs," went punting, consumed several bottles of wine, and went to see Nic's dad's band play a gig. All in all, a pretty good day.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=u54fr1b.6c2zd0w3&x=0&y=ukf8o7
= :)
Oct 21, 2005
Sep 24, 2005
Important Public Service Announcement
I have not been devoured by ravenous, city-dwelling pigeons.
= :)
= :)
Aug 31, 2005
Camping Fun
Hey all -
I'm back! I survived the camping weekend, and according to the title, apparently had a good time, as well. :P
This past weekend - a three-day one, thankfully - Nic and I went to the Fordham Festival, which was the little music festival near Cambridge. Well, "near" is a relative term when it includes a 40-min bus ride and a 2-mile hike along the highway. But we made it there in one piece and immediately picked a prime tent-pitching spot...which we later realized was unfortunately far away from the stage...oops.
But yeah, camping was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. The festival was really small but had some entertaining bands - including Nic's dad's band, who were really good. We hung out with a couple of the other band members and wives/girlfriends, and they were really great. The lead singer has this adorable little 3-year-old, Lizzie, who had ridiculous amounts of energy and was a lot of fun to hang out with.
Food and beer were cheap at the festival, so no complaining here. I had a hog roast, which is apparently some pork on a bun with stuffing, fried onions, and applesauce. mmmmmmm...I may have found a replacement for the late, great, Best Burger of All Time. Played frisbee, which was fun, although I'm apparently awful now and have no idea why. I could play in North Carolina! (well, barely, but still...) I blame it on all the tufty grass.
Can't blame the weather, though, because the weekend was absolutely gorgeous - four full days of straight sunny days (if slightly cold evenings). Actually, it's continued into this week - today is 88 degrees and gorgeous, and Londoners are going on like it's the end of the world. Not happy in the sunshine, not happy in the rain...
Anyway, despite the increasing need to take a shower (the one I took on Monday night was the best on in my life, I think), I had a great time at the festival. Plus, as an added bonus, one of the band members and his wife picked us up from the festival so we wouldn't have to walk, and then treated us to a barbecue at their house! mmmmm steak...especially after a few days of living off of chips and salsa. :P
Anyway, so that's my grand adventure. Lessons learned: camping is not as scary as I thought it was, never attempt to take out your contacts in the dark, and always, always, ALWAYS print out a map of where you're going (Nic...). hehehe...only a few more hours of work and then off to the ballet tonight - ooh lala. Will post again soon!
I'm back! I survived the camping weekend, and according to the title, apparently had a good time, as well. :P
This past weekend - a three-day one, thankfully - Nic and I went to the Fordham Festival, which was the little music festival near Cambridge. Well, "near" is a relative term when it includes a 40-min bus ride and a 2-mile hike along the highway. But we made it there in one piece and immediately picked a prime tent-pitching spot...which we later realized was unfortunately far away from the stage...oops.
But yeah, camping was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. The festival was really small but had some entertaining bands - including Nic's dad's band, who were really good. We hung out with a couple of the other band members and wives/girlfriends, and they were really great. The lead singer has this adorable little 3-year-old, Lizzie, who had ridiculous amounts of energy and was a lot of fun to hang out with.
Food and beer were cheap at the festival, so no complaining here. I had a hog roast, which is apparently some pork on a bun with stuffing, fried onions, and applesauce. mmmmmmm...I may have found a replacement for the late, great, Best Burger of All Time. Played frisbee, which was fun, although I'm apparently awful now and have no idea why. I could play in North Carolina! (well, barely, but still...) I blame it on all the tufty grass.
Can't blame the weather, though, because the weekend was absolutely gorgeous - four full days of straight sunny days (if slightly cold evenings). Actually, it's continued into this week - today is 88 degrees and gorgeous, and Londoners are going on like it's the end of the world. Not happy in the sunshine, not happy in the rain...
Anyway, despite the increasing need to take a shower (the one I took on Monday night was the best on in my life, I think), I had a great time at the festival. Plus, as an added bonus, one of the band members and his wife picked us up from the festival so we wouldn't have to walk, and then treated us to a barbecue at their house! mmmmm steak...especially after a few days of living off of chips and salsa. :P
Anyway, so that's my grand adventure. Lessons learned: camping is not as scary as I thought it was, never attempt to take out your contacts in the dark, and always, always, ALWAYS print out a map of where you're going (Nic...). hehehe...only a few more hours of work and then off to the ballet tonight - ooh lala. Will post again soon!
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