While working this afternoon, I was particularly enjoying my cup of room-temperature orange blossom tea, and I popped over to Facebook to share this small happiness with my friends. My Facebook philosophy tends toward posting only when I have something happy to share. My philosophy in ‘real life’ tends in the same direction: to maintain a positive outlook, I strive daily to count my blessings and fully experience the small pleasures of life. I ‘live in the moment’ and ‘carpe diem’, and when I’m not feeling it, I tell myself to refocus on the positives. When I perfect my focus on the small things that make me happy, it’s easier to forgo negativity about small inconveniences or minor disappointments.
Inevitably though, in this life, there will be catastrophes and major disappointments. Opening Facebook today, before I had the chance to share my little ray of orange-blossom sunshine, I found myself facing big issues of the negative variety. One friend linked to Al Jazeera’s blog coverage of terrible, violent unrest in Libya, and another delivered news that a classmate from days long gone by died today of cancer. As uncertainty, fear and sadness encroached – political unrest, violence against defenseless masses, the grief left behind when someone leaves this life at a young age – I found that I was debating whether to allow myself to even experience the negative emotions. Should I look at the photos of my classmate with his wife and young children and steep myself in recognition of the frailty of our human nature? Should I read and attempt to understand what’s happening on the other side of the world - what it means for families there and what it means for me? I had a strong desire just to post my happy status, fix my mind on all of the beauty in my life, and move on with my day.
In the end, although it was not my close friend who had passed away or my family that was being attacked by corrupt government, I chose not to attempt to escape these reminders of the fragility of life. I have no guarantee that tomorrow’s catastrophe will not be my catastrophe. How would I react? Or better stated: How will I react? The only guarantee I have in this life is death - either I will die first or I will suffer when my loved ones die. And though it’s not a guarantee, it’s likely that I’ll have to deal with ugly situations (physical and emotional) in the meantime. In theory, I know that I can weather any storm that comes my way, because I recognize that this life is not the apex of my existence. My belief in our eternal souls and in an eternal reward for those who serve God will always put my mortal suffering in perspective. I acknowledge that I have been lucky and blessed in my life so far – I have not suffered greatly, and therefore, this perspective has not been put to the ultimate test. Today, as I ponder my search for happiness through a focus on the little joys of life, I wonder if, in the process of overlooking life’s little problems, am I also blinding myself to the spiritual framework on which I plan to rest when real trouble comes into my life. I am touched by others’ sorrows, and so today, rather than seeking to escape negative emotion by an enjoyment of the little things, I choose instead to take comfort in the big things: This world is not my home, and I do not expect to take a painless trip through it, but in the end, I will have eternal life with my Creator.
While happiness can and should be sought through enjoyment of life’s beauty, great and small, I should not use these blessings to shield me from the daily reminders that this is an imperfect world, and everyone in it will face suffering and, ultimately, mortality. Today, I am convicted that, rather than hiding uncertainty, fear and sadness behind a focus on this beautiful life, I should allow myself to see that life is full of pain. I should remember to trust in God when facing these sorrows, so that I will be prepared to trust Him in times when the pleasures of life could not possibly shield me from the sorrows.
I recognize that many of my facebook friends don’t share my faith, and, even amongst those who do, I feel sure that there are some who spend greater efforts seeking momentary happiness than seeking meaning in this life or preparing for our ultimate date with mortality. I’m challenging myself to be more realistic in this area, and I guess, for anyone who’s read this all the way through, I’m challenging you too. I welcome your thoughts.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Next Stop, Switzerland!
We're heading to Switzerland tomorrow AM...it's 11:15 PM here, and our cab arrives at 4:00 AM to take us to a cheap RyanAir flight an hour from here. I'm packed - mostly - but still trying to get in my hours and tie up loose ends with work. I have to work 1/2 day tomorrow too, so I should probably just go to bed. After tomorrow, I'm off for 5 1/2 days. I'm also working a half day a week from Monday after we fly in around 3pm....see 3pm here is only 9am in Austin, so lots of time, if not energy, to get some work in. I am conserving vacation days like nobody's business! I was tempted to work a few hours each day next week, just to save another day or so, but I decided not thinking about work AT ALL would be really really good.
So, our plan is to arrive in Milan (b/c there are no cheap flights to Switzerland)...train up to Lugano for a day, then get on the Bernina Express, which is supposed to be the best scenic Alps train in Switzerland. That will take pretty much all day Saturday.
Sunday we'll be in Lucern...there's even a congregation we can visit there, so that fit really well with our plans.
Monday we'll head to a Rick Steve's recommended town called Gimmelwald. It's a tiny (really tiny) village in the Berner Oberland (alps). It's halfway up the mountain, no roads, and you have to take a cable car to get there! We'll stay there for 2 days...cable car up to the top of that mountain one day and hike down some, if the weather's good. Then rent bikes and head down from our village to the valley on day 2, again, weather permitting. (Notice that I'm planning all of our physical activities to be heading downhill!) We're not in shape to hike the Alps uphill...in fact, I'm a little nervous about downhill, based on some things I've read, but we'll see.
Wednesday, we'll make our way back to Interlaken and hop on another scenic train over to Montreux on Lake Geneva. We'll stay there through Friday. We have lots of things lined up during this stay, including a trip on the "Chocolate Train" to Gruyere (where they make the cheese).
Then, on Friday afternoon, we'll start making our way on the train to Vernazza (Cinque Terre)!! :) We debated a lot about whether we should go back...in fact we've agreed to play this part by ear. If we can't get enough of Switzerland, we'll stay....but I really love Vernazza, and I hope we end up going there. It's so neat to revisit a familiar place. It's easier, and I think I'll be ready for that at that point!
Our flight home is through Genoa on Monday 10/25.
It's going to be so fun!!! I'll try to post updates as we go along.
So, our plan is to arrive in Milan (b/c there are no cheap flights to Switzerland)...train up to Lugano for a day, then get on the Bernina Express, which is supposed to be the best scenic Alps train in Switzerland. That will take pretty much all day Saturday.
Sunday we'll be in Lucern...there's even a congregation we can visit there, so that fit really well with our plans.
Monday we'll head to a Rick Steve's recommended town called Gimmelwald. It's a tiny (really tiny) village in the Berner Oberland (alps). It's halfway up the mountain, no roads, and you have to take a cable car to get there! We'll stay there for 2 days...cable car up to the top of that mountain one day and hike down some, if the weather's good. Then rent bikes and head down from our village to the valley on day 2, again, weather permitting. (Notice that I'm planning all of our physical activities to be heading downhill!) We're not in shape to hike the Alps uphill...in fact, I'm a little nervous about downhill, based on some things I've read, but we'll see.
Wednesday, we'll make our way back to Interlaken and hop on another scenic train over to Montreux on Lake Geneva. We'll stay there through Friday. We have lots of things lined up during this stay, including a trip on the "Chocolate Train" to Gruyere (where they make the cheese).
Then, on Friday afternoon, we'll start making our way on the train to Vernazza (Cinque Terre)!! :) We debated a lot about whether we should go back...in fact we've agreed to play this part by ear. If we can't get enough of Switzerland, we'll stay....but I really love Vernazza, and I hope we end up going there. It's so neat to revisit a familiar place. It's easier, and I think I'll be ready for that at that point!
Our flight home is through Genoa on Monday 10/25.
It's going to be so fun!!! I'll try to post updates as we go along.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Lovely. Brilliant. Gorgeous.
We spent the weekend in Scotland with our friends Paul & Terri McGinty and their family. The trip was perfect and homey and just what we hoped it would be. Here are the highlights:
- We rode the train ½ way to Scotland in cramped seats next to a smelly (dirty underwear smelly) guy. That made the 2nd half of the trip that much better, when we were able to move to odor-free seats with a table!
- Paul, Terri and Tracy (Paul’s sister) met us right at the train platform and we walked around downtown Glasgow a bit. The weather was gorgeous and so is the city.
- We headed to Tracy’s flat in Castlemilk, a suburb of Glasgow. Her flat is on the 11th floor and has a brilliant view of the city and mountains in the distance. Paul & Tracy’s mom lives on the 6th floor, so Tracy turned her flat over to us, Paul & Terri, and Leann, Terri’s sister who arrived that night. Daniel & I had the kingly accommodations…Paul & Terri kindly took the air mattress in the living room and Leann had a single bed in the guest room, leaving us with the queen bed in Tracy’s room. It was the most comfortable bed I’ve slept in since leaving California. Tracy has lovely taste, and her flat is so cute and cozy!
- For dinner Friday night, we ate a traditional Scottish meal of Indian take-out. It was fantastic! We spent the night visiting, relaxing and thoroughly enjoying ourselves.
- Saturday morning, Paul prepared a delicious, traditional Scottish breakfast, including potato scones, which I really enjoyed, and blood pudding, which I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. Daniel tried it, and I couldn’t even sit at the table with him while he was eating it. It looks like half-congealed blood mixed with a sausage patty, and it just turned my stomach! (Daniel didn’t care for it, by the way.)
- After breakfast we hit the road to Stirling. We stopped at Falkirk’s Wheel along the way – a cool engineering feat for lifting boats from one canal to another that’s 100 or more feet above. I was really impressed with the design of the wheel, which makes it an amazingly energy efficient tool for moving a large amount weight. We saw Stirling Castle & the William Wallace monument, and ate lunch in a pub, which took about 100 years to deliver our food. I got to do an ad-hoc photo shoot for Leann, which was fun in such a great location!
- Saturday night we went to a family party at Paul’s mom Mary’s flat. We got to meet Paul’s brothers & their families and experience another facet of Glaswegian culture.
- Sunday morning we headed to worship with the church in East Kilbride. We heard a wonderful sermon about grace and met lots of really nice people, including Steve who went to eat lunch and spent the afternoon with us. Steve is the person who taught Paul the gospel years ago. He’s an ex-pat from Ohio, very recently retired, and a science-fiction writer. An interesting, nice person.
- Sunday afternoon found us wandering through a park not too far from the church building. It was really beautiful…everything here is so, so green. I can’t imagine Ireland being any greener…I can’t wait to see it and find out.
- Sunday night I watched the X-factor with Tracy while Paul & Terri took Steve home and brought back chips & rolls for dinner…we put the chips (thick cut fries) on the rolls with butter and malt vinegar (optional), and that was our sandwich. It was tasty. And Simon is still Simon whether in Britain or America.
- I have to mention that we had tea several times throughout the weekend, and even though I’m not a habitual hot tea drinker, I did enjoy it every time (with milk and sugar). I miss my easily accessible iced teas & green tea lemonades!!
- I should also mention that the personality of the Scottish people, as far as our experience went, was notably friendly & cheerful. It’s fun just to hear them talk, and everything, from the view out the window, to a particular favorite song or the quality of their food is “lovely”, “brilliant” or “gorgeous”.
- We woke up early(ish) this morning and Paul & Terri walked us to the #75 bus for the ride in to the train station. We had to brow-beat Paul into letting us take a bus, rather than him driving us himself.
- Now, we’re all set up at our lovely table seats on the train. It’s not crowded, and life feels just about perfect as I sit across from Daniel, watching the rain stream down the windows as the impossibly green hills and valleys roll by.
What have we been up to?
I’ve slacked off on the blogging….not good! I want to be able to look back at all the things we’ve done, and I’m already forgetting the things I haven’t blogged, so I’m going to attempt a recap.
-Thursday 8/26: Dinner at Rock & Sole with Liz, Brian, Porter, Zach, Tracy & Tyler. The Rock & Sole is a really old fish & chip shop. They claim they’ve been serving fish & chips in this location for the last 130 years or so. It was raining out, so we crammed into the basement seating area. It was cramped but great food and great company!
-Friday, 8/27: Legal London walking tour (I’ll eventually finish my post about this)
-Saturday, 8/28: We took the Oxford Tube bus to Oxford, ate lunch and walked around Oxford. We slept pretty late this morning, so by the time we made the 1.5 – 2 hour trip to Oxford and finished lunch it was around 3:30, and many of the places of interest were closing up. We experienced Oxford from the outside for the most part, but it was such fun to wander the streets! There is so much history and awesome architecture in Oxford. One of our favorite spots was the Great Hall of Christ Church College – a.k.a. Hogwarts’ Great Hall in some of the Harry Potter movies…however, as I said, we didn’t actually get to go inside. It was really beautiful on the outside though (probably better than inside, because, of course, there would not be any floating candles or ghosts about). I was glad we got to see it. As an aside here….Harry Potter tourism isn’t really such a big deal to me…I adore the books, but the movies are just fun. Lots of guide books focus on sending you to the actual spots where the movies were filmed, but for me, that’s not so significant. It’s really enjoyable to experience some of the British culture that you see throughout the books though….treacle tarts and so forth. (Not that I’ve had a treacle tart yet, but I intend to.) And, just to further complicate this aside, I do want to visit the Elephant Room café in Edinburgh where J.K. Rowling wrote some of the early books…For whatever reason, that seems much more significant to me than a film set.
-Sunday, 8/29: We worshiped at a nice little congregation in Kentish Town, and had our first experience with sharing one cup for communion. It was surprisingly off-putting to share germs with strangers….I am a wimp. Also I find it so intriguing how uncomfortable it can be to step outside the norm on something like that. I did make the effort not to let that physical detail interfere with the spiritual meaning of the act. I really enjoyed the singing at Kentish Town. The acoustics of their old, old church building (with a neon “Church of Christ” sign out front) were amazing. Following worship, we ate lunch at my reigning favorite joint, the Serpentine Café. Daniel got a whole trout...head and all! He had to fight with fish bones for every bite he ate. I made him hide the fish's head under a lemon!! After eating, we got coffee / hot chocolate and lounged outside, enjoying the lovely (but windy) afternoon.
-Monday, 8/30: I worked, and to be honest I don’t remember what else I did! Likely, grocery shopping and laundry….or maybe nothing. This is why I need to keep up with the blog!
-Tuesday, 8/31: Daniel headed off to class, and we made loose plans to meet up for lunch. The weather was gorgeous, and as lunchtime approached, I found myself thinking about this hot dog stand that had been tempting us every time we were in the vicinity of Hyde Park Corner. We met there and ate lunch on a bench in the rose garden at Hyde Park. It was perfect. Daniel encouraged me to spend a little more time enjoying the weather, so I popped over to, once again, the Serpentine Café, and sat listening to a book on tape for a while. Again, it was perfect. Then, it was home to work.
- Wednesday, 9/1 & Thursday 9/2: I was pretty sick with a cold and didn’t feel like getting out! The question that plagued me was: did I get germs from Kentish Town?? Or was it that guy that coughed directly in my face in the Underground. I decided to blame the cougher. I was so concerned that Daniel would get sick, but thankfully he didn’t! I think it’s the first time in our marriage that I was sick and Daniel didn’t catch it. Hooray!
-Friday, 9/3: I was still feeling a little under the weather, but we had plans to go see Wicked with Zach, Tracy & Tyler. I wasn’t going to miss that!! Getting out of the house was good for me…I wasn’t a sniffling wreck, and I loved the show! I hope I have a reason to go see it again while we’re here. There are so many other shows to see, I don’t know if that will work out, but I can hope. I’m pretty sure Wicked is my favorite musical ever…Lion King being a close second. (I want to know how they got Elphiba to be so green without constantly rubbing green paint onto every other actor.) By the way....Don't you love the poster??
-Saturday, 9/4: We took a bus tour to Windsor, Stonehenge & Bath with Zach, Laura, Koy, Victoria. It was a whirlwind trip, but I’m really glad we got to see these places. It was fun.
- Sunday, 9/5: We worshiped at Wembley, then came home for some work, and then ate dinner with Liz & Bryan and their Sicilian friend, Tony. We all walked over to feed the swans in Hyde Park and then headed back to hang out in their flat until just before the last bus ran. It was so great to sit and visit and get to know them, and especially fun to hang out with their little boy, Porter!!
-Monday, 9/6: Labor Day, we hung around house, met Noelle (our landlord), and I had coffee & dinner with Melisa & Michael Ackermann (who were in London for a few days vacation) at the Serpentine (where else!?)
-Tuesday, 9/7: This was one of my favorite days so far in London. I got up and headed to the V&A museum (museum of art & design) in the morning. On the way, I stopped to take some pictures of the outside of the building, where they have chosen to leave the damaged caused by German bombers during the Blitz. We'd noticed this before, but on this day, I found myself visualizing what it must have been like to be in this area during that time, and how scary it would have been to have bombs raining down, doing the kind of damage I was witnessing to such a solid structure. On Wednesday, I had one of those "goosebumps" moments, when Daniel shared a newspaper he'd picked up the day before. As it happens, though I didn't realize it at the time, the day I was imagining what the Blitz had been like, was actually the 70th anniversary of the day it started. How weird is that? (Maybe not that weird...but a little!)
I thoroughly enjoyed a leisurely stroll through some of the exhibits. I especially loved the sculpture, and I was intrigued by some of the ancient functional design on display - for example an ancient Japanese fire suit. It was woven of heavy cotton and included a jacket and helmet. Before the firemen went to fight a fire, their suits were doused with water to provide some protection from the flames. I am completely resolved that visiting art museums by yourself is the best way to go. I discovered their awesome café &, as the museum is a block from Pepperdine, I took Daniel there for lunch. It was the best of both worlds, because I was able to point out some of my favorite works to Daniel as we made our way to the café. Another reason it was a great morning for me - I LOVE museum shops….they always have the best unique gifts, and the shop at the V&A did not disappoint! I didn’t buy a thing, but I left inspired to try some new techniques for making jewelry, and I will probably go back to buy a few souvenirs for friends before we go home. Of course, I had to pay for my freedom in the morning by working all afternoon and evening, but it was so worth it!!
- Wednesday, 9/8: On Wednesday, I worked in the morning, and then headed to Cambridge to meet one of my coworkers, Yamuna, in person for the first time. Lis, Michael, Yamuna, her family & I ate dinner at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant. It was fantastic, and I have to take Daniel there sometime soon! Also, while in Cambridge, I stopped in at the University Press book store and bought Daniel a Cambridge Bible, straight from the source.
- Thursday, 9/9: Turned out to be a great day, because, in spite of some craziness with FedEx (in which our BritRail passes were sent to South Africa), I was able to pick up new copies of the passes at the local BritRail office. That was crucial, since we planned to use the passes to get to Scotland on Friday.
-Thursday 8/26: Dinner at Rock & Sole with Liz, Brian, Porter, Zach, Tracy & Tyler. The Rock & Sole is a really old fish & chip shop. They claim they’ve been serving fish & chips in this location for the last 130 years or so. It was raining out, so we crammed into the basement seating area. It was cramped but great food and great company!
-Friday, 8/27: Legal London walking tour (I’ll eventually finish my post about this)
-Saturday, 8/28: We took the Oxford Tube bus to Oxford, ate lunch and walked around Oxford. We slept pretty late this morning, so by the time we made the 1.5 – 2 hour trip to Oxford and finished lunch it was around 3:30, and many of the places of interest were closing up. We experienced Oxford from the outside for the most part, but it was such fun to wander the streets! There is so much history and awesome architecture in Oxford. One of our favorite spots was the Great Hall of Christ Church College – a.k.a. Hogwarts’ Great Hall in some of the Harry Potter movies…however, as I said, we didn’t actually get to go inside. It was really beautiful on the outside though (probably better than inside, because, of course, there would not be any floating candles or ghosts about). I was glad we got to see it. As an aside here….Harry Potter tourism isn’t really such a big deal to me…I adore the books, but the movies are just fun. Lots of guide books focus on sending you to the actual spots where the movies were filmed, but for me, that’s not so significant. It’s really enjoyable to experience some of the British culture that you see throughout the books though….treacle tarts and so forth. (Not that I’ve had a treacle tart yet, but I intend to.) And, just to further complicate this aside, I do want to visit the Elephant Room café in Edinburgh where J.K. Rowling wrote some of the early books…For whatever reason, that seems much more significant to me than a film set.
(pictures from Oxford)
-Sunday, 8/29: We worshiped at a nice little congregation in Kentish Town, and had our first experience with sharing one cup for communion. It was surprisingly off-putting to share germs with strangers….I am a wimp. Also I find it so intriguing how uncomfortable it can be to step outside the norm on something like that. I did make the effort not to let that physical detail interfere with the spiritual meaning of the act. I really enjoyed the singing at Kentish Town. The acoustics of their old, old church building (with a neon “Church of Christ” sign out front) were amazing. Following worship, we ate lunch at my reigning favorite joint, the Serpentine Café. Daniel got a whole trout...head and all! He had to fight with fish bones for every bite he ate. I made him hide the fish's head under a lemon!! After eating, we got coffee / hot chocolate and lounged outside, enjoying the lovely (but windy) afternoon.
-Monday, 8/30: I worked, and to be honest I don’t remember what else I did! Likely, grocery shopping and laundry….or maybe nothing. This is why I need to keep up with the blog!
-Tuesday, 8/31: Daniel headed off to class, and we made loose plans to meet up for lunch. The weather was gorgeous, and as lunchtime approached, I found myself thinking about this hot dog stand that had been tempting us every time we were in the vicinity of Hyde Park Corner. We met there and ate lunch on a bench in the rose garden at Hyde Park. It was perfect. Daniel encouraged me to spend a little more time enjoying the weather, so I popped over to, once again, the Serpentine Café, and sat listening to a book on tape for a while. Again, it was perfect. Then, it was home to work.
- Wednesday, 9/1 & Thursday 9/2: I was pretty sick with a cold and didn’t feel like getting out! The question that plagued me was: did I get germs from Kentish Town?? Or was it that guy that coughed directly in my face in the Underground. I decided to blame the cougher. I was so concerned that Daniel would get sick, but thankfully he didn’t! I think it’s the first time in our marriage that I was sick and Daniel didn’t catch it. Hooray!
-Friday, 9/3: I was still feeling a little under the weather, but we had plans to go see Wicked with Zach, Tracy & Tyler. I wasn’t going to miss that!! Getting out of the house was good for me…I wasn’t a sniffling wreck, and I loved the show! I hope I have a reason to go see it again while we’re here. There are so many other shows to see, I don’t know if that will work out, but I can hope. I’m pretty sure Wicked is my favorite musical ever…Lion King being a close second. (I want to know how they got Elphiba to be so green without constantly rubbing green paint onto every other actor.) By the way....Don't you love the poster??
-Saturday, 9/4: We took a bus tour to Windsor, Stonehenge & Bath with Zach, Laura, Koy, Victoria. It was a whirlwind trip, but I’m really glad we got to see these places. It was fun.
- Sunday, 9/5: We worshiped at Wembley, then came home for some work, and then ate dinner with Liz & Bryan and their Sicilian friend, Tony. We all walked over to feed the swans in Hyde Park and then headed back to hang out in their flat until just before the last bus ran. It was so great to sit and visit and get to know them, and especially fun to hang out with their little boy, Porter!!
-Monday, 9/6: Labor Day, we hung around house, met Noelle (our landlord), and I had coffee & dinner with Melisa & Michael Ackermann (who were in London for a few days vacation) at the Serpentine (where else!?)
-Tuesday, 9/7: This was one of my favorite days so far in London. I got up and headed to the V&A museum (museum of art & design) in the morning. On the way, I stopped to take some pictures of the outside of the building, where they have chosen to leave the damaged caused by German bombers during the Blitz. We'd noticed this before, but on this day, I found myself visualizing what it must have been like to be in this area during that time, and how scary it would have been to have bombs raining down, doing the kind of damage I was witnessing to such a solid structure. On Wednesday, I had one of those "goosebumps" moments, when Daniel shared a newspaper he'd picked up the day before. As it happens, though I didn't realize it at the time, the day I was imagining what the Blitz had been like, was actually the 70th anniversary of the day it started. How weird is that? (Maybe not that weird...but a little!)
I thoroughly enjoyed a leisurely stroll through some of the exhibits. I especially loved the sculpture, and I was intrigued by some of the ancient functional design on display - for example an ancient Japanese fire suit. It was woven of heavy cotton and included a jacket and helmet. Before the firemen went to fight a fire, their suits were doused with water to provide some protection from the flames. I am completely resolved that visiting art museums by yourself is the best way to go. I discovered their awesome café &, as the museum is a block from Pepperdine, I took Daniel there for lunch. It was the best of both worlds, because I was able to point out some of my favorite works to Daniel as we made our way to the café. Another reason it was a great morning for me - I LOVE museum shops….they always have the best unique gifts, and the shop at the V&A did not disappoint! I didn’t buy a thing, but I left inspired to try some new techniques for making jewelry, and I will probably go back to buy a few souvenirs for friends before we go home. Of course, I had to pay for my freedom in the morning by working all afternoon and evening, but it was so worth it!!
- Wednesday, 9/8: On Wednesday, I worked in the morning, and then headed to Cambridge to meet one of my coworkers, Yamuna, in person for the first time. Lis, Michael, Yamuna, her family & I ate dinner at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant. It was fantastic, and I have to take Daniel there sometime soon! Also, while in Cambridge, I stopped in at the University Press book store and bought Daniel a Cambridge Bible, straight from the source.
- Thursday, 9/9: Turned out to be a great day, because, in spite of some craziness with FedEx (in which our BritRail passes were sent to South Africa), I was able to pick up new copies of the passes at the local BritRail office. That was crucial, since we planned to use the passes to get to Scotland on Friday.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
08.24 - Random & Rodents
Well...I am getting behind on blogging! It hasn't helped that the past couple days have been pretty "normal" around here. I don't have many pictures, and nothing too exciting to report.
Tuesday was Daniel's first day back in class. He had a morning class, and then I got to meet him for lunch. I headed back to the house to work and Daniel went back to school. I picked up some groceries and finally figured out where I could buy mousetraps. I worked, then Daniel came home and talked me into going to Hyde Park for dinner. We wanted to revisit the Serpentine cafe and sit out by the pond while the sun set. When we got there, we determined that it was far too windy and cold to eat outside, but we were able to get a table near the windows inside, so that was almost as good! The Serpentine Cafe is my favorite place to hang out so far! It's really cozy inside, and on a nice day, it's very relaxing and gorgeous outside. I love being near the water. We shared a pizza, and it didn't occur to me to take a picture while it was still looking good. I know the photo I got isn't really appetizing, but the pizza really was delicious! After we ate, we just sat and talked and soaked in the atmosphere. It was great!
When we finally decided to head home, we opted for a trip on the Tube, since the walk was pretty far. Note to self: don't ever leave Oyster cards (discounted Tube pre-paid cards) at home. Neither of us had our Oyster cards, because we had planned to walk. This is okay, because you can still just buy a paper ticket, but the Tube is really expensive! We only traveled in one zone, just 4 stops or so, and the cost was $6 per ticket!! Even with the Oyster card it's not much better! Second note to self: Just walk.
I feel like there's been a theme running through the last few days here, and it's not a theme I appreciate. The theme is: RODENTS. I've now seen 2 different mice in our house (one dark brown, one gray), and I can only imagine that there must be hundreds more who are too smart to come out when I'm sitting on the couch. We've set the traps I mentioned above, but for 2 days, the mice have eluded us. Last night we added some Nutella for bait...what mouse could resist Nutella??? I have heard that peanut butter is the best bait, so I'll probably be out purchasing some peanut butter later today. I know the stores stock it here...I've actually been wanting to buy some anyway, so I can eat peanut butter and black current jam sandwiches! Anyway, back to the rodent theme - when we were walking in Hyde Park just after dark, heading for the tube, we saw 2 gigantic rats. Those guys were terrifying!! I don't think I want to hang out in Hyde Park after dark ever again. Generally, it's probably not a wise decision anyway. I was surprised at how quickly it emptied of people. I guess they all know about the rats.
Notice the return of the coffee pictures in the photos with this post. I took a picture of the HP bottle, because it is Daniel's fill-in barbeque sauce here, and that's important. And, if you're wondering why I have the pictures of the coke cans...I am wondering too. :) Not really! I took the coke can picture to document the fact that Daniel always gets Diet Coke and I always get regular Coke, and there's always a little guilt that goes with it. But I don't like Diet Coke or aspartame...I'm sure regular Coke is actually much healthier.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
08.23 Fancy Food
I am a fan of Giada’s Weekend Getaways on the Food Network, and any time I’m able to sample one of the restaurants she recommends, I like to do it! So, of course when we determined that we’d be staying in London this Fall, I paid extra special attention when the London episode came on. Unfortunately, I’m forgetful and I didn’t make any notes! But, with a little web surfing, I was able to figure out that the Indian restaurant she visited was called Amaya, and it’s not too far from our house. It’s a place that you have to make reservations (or sit at a group table….no thanks. I guess I should probably be more sociable). Anyway, we made our reservation and went to eat at Amaya on Monday night. We walked 1.5 miles to get there, and we were hungry to begin with, so we were really ready to eat when we arrived! This is one of those restaurants that we really have no business going to…you are meant to order lots of little dishes to sample different foods, and it is pricey! But, we figured we’d order tap water - actually, I think Daniel missed that memo! His water had bubbles and was not free ;) - and order lightly. We would sample, rather than feast. That plan, in combination with the hunger we were feeling, could have been a recipe for disaster. But, after studying the menu and negotiating over what to order for 10 minutes or so, I think we did pretty well. I’m so glad we were at a private table though! Just think of the peer pressure of sitting with a group who’s ordering & eating freely, when you have to be extremely careful. The waitress seemed concerned that we wouldn’t have enough to eat, but in the end we were satisfied. Over all though, as good as it was, I’m not sure it’s a place to which I can return. I just can’t stomach paying $15 for broccoli with yogurt, even if it is delicious and somewhat exotic. It’s a shame though, because my stomach is growling now, just thinking about those 4 little bitty pieces of deliciously marinated chicken and even the lamb kebab – normally I don’t even like lamb. Oh…I almost forgot to mention one of the best parts…the restaurant didn’t have that heavy Indian spice smell that, strangely enough, tends to accompany Indian food. I’m not sure how they managed that, but it was wonderful for me, since I really don’t like to smell my food on my clothes after I leave a restaurant!
To balance the scales money wise, and perhaps assuage my craving, I went to the store yesterday and bought some Indian TV dinners. We will now eat 2-3 whole Indian meals for less than the cost of that broccoli! I really can’t wait to taste the “TV dinners” actually! At the market we’ve been shopping at, they have all this prepackaged, prepared food….similar to what I would expect in our frozen foods aisle back home, but nothing is frozen. Most things say they’re “suitable for freezing”. Somehow, because the food isn’t frozen at the store, it all seems fresher and more appetizing to me. In general, I really do believe the quality of food is better here, so I’m expecting good things from my Indian dinners.
In the pictures above, you’ll see a bottle of “belu”, which was Daniel’s sparkling water at Amaya. You’ll also see a glowing street shot, which I snapped on the fly while crossing the street…it was a lucky shot & I love how it turned out! There’s a fancy blue car….random, but I knew I’d be low on photos for my post about Monday, and I thought it was cool. Then, you’ll see a picture of Daniel behind a tree, where he hid while I was taking the picture of the car! Tuesday’s post will be even lighter on the pictures. I’m going to have to work harder to find new photo worthy subjects on the days we stay around our neighborhood!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)