Consider The Day Seized

Book Review!

2011-08-14T18:30:00.000-06:00

My mom's book, Revenge of the Dorkoids, got reviewed in Deseret News! How exciting is that? Here's the link to have a look at the review.

Dinner Don'ts

2011-08-06T14:50:00.001-06:00

I'm sitting in a posh restaurant. The people next to me have had a gorgeous meal: steak, new potatoes, green salad, wine, dessert...... Now the girl is sitting there on her iPhone, completely ignorning her date/boyfriend/partner/husband, whatever. Sereiously, she's not even looked up for 10 minutes. Hasn't spoken a word to him. To me, that's poor ettiquite. Very rude. Have we become so attached to our toys that we can't leave them at home, or at least in our bags, when we go out?

Now, I know I'm sitting in the same restaurant, having had a truly gorgeous rosotto, working on my iPad. But I'm alone. I'm not ignoring anyone! In fact, you lot are my psudo dinner partners. So not the same thing.

The really sad part? Her date doesn't seem put out! He's accepting it as normal.

Wrong. Just wrong.

Off and Flying!

2011-08-04T03:57:00.001-06:00

Come follow my travel adventures over on High Class Hitchhiking.

Home Stretch

2011-08-02T16:13:00.001-06:00

I'm exhausted! I've been working pretty solidly on getting my house ready to let. The good news is two fold:

1 - I'm nearly done!
2 - I have a tenant moving in on the 13th!

Here's a list of what I've done (or had done) on the house:

Painted the woodwork outside (doors/windows)
Painted the woodwork inside (skirting, windows, doors, railing)
Painted all the walls which didn't have murals
Painted all the ceilings
Installed a bar for wardrobe space
Installed a bar for curtain hanging to hide wardrobe space
Ripped up the carpet
Installed laminate flooring
Cleared excess furniture
Cleared eves
Cleared rubbish from garden
Pulled out a raised flower bed
Put in 2 raised flower beds
Repaired 1 raised flower bed
Re-rocked the patio area
Trimmed all the bushes
Cut the grass (twice)
Seeded the grass
Painted the fence
Painted the shed
Repaired the shed
Weeded the drive and patio
Dug, levelled and rocked the area in front of the shed (it was horrible dirt before)

Ummm... not sure what else, but seriously, do I need anything else?!? I'm shattered. I've now packed my bags. I've got a bit of rubbish left to clear out of the spare bed. I've got one more trip to the charity shop to get rid of stuff. I've GOT to wash my hair! Then I'm off to my friend's house to drop off my car (she's selling it for me), she'll then drop me off at the train station. I'm heading into London tomorrow night to stay with friends who live about 20 minutes (train) from Heathrow. Then, midmorning the next day I'll head over to Heathrow to catch my flight.

Won't do me any good to turn up too early, as I'm flying standby again, so they won't let me check in til the last minute. But, I'm flying to Minneapolis, and the flight looks pretty empty, so it shouldn't be a problem. But, be sure to check out my other blog, High Class Hitchhiking, for all the adventures!

Much as it pains me to leave, I'm really ready to be gone. Being here has been really good for me, but for funny reasons. I've learned that I made the right decision last year in moving back to the US. England and the UK will always hold a special place in my heart, but it isn't home right now. Maybe sometime in the future it will be again. Hope so as I genuinely love the people and the land. But just now, it's time for me to go back to the US. I have a brand new life waiting for me, and I'm really looking forward to getting to it. No idea where the new path will take me, but one thing's for sure.....

I'll always Seize the Day and Throttle It!

Shakespeare in the Park

2011-07-27T07:11:00.001-06:00

Every summer the various colleges at Cambridge play host to Shakespeare in the Park. Last year my friend Rebekah and I took my mom to see Taming of the Shrew. This year, Rebekah and I went to see The Comedy of Errors and have plans to see Much Ado About Nothing (one of my all time favourites!)

TCoE was absolutely brilliant! I've read it before, but had never seen it performed. Bless them, I'm sure they were freezing to death! We were all bundled up to our eyebrows: Jeans, jumpers, hoodies and coats, sitting on one wool blanket (over chairs) and huddled under another. Yeah, we just about survived it. But hey... this is the joy of the Great British Summer! It did not rain, ominous black clouds not withstanding. So all in all, we made out well.

Of course, we had to have the obligatory Scones, Clotted Cream and Jam! Yum!

Garden Woes

2011-07-15T07:00:00.001-06:00

Ooohft... Been sorting the back garden as well as the flooring and outdoor painting. Such fun. I've got a young man from church coming round to help several days/week. He's saving money for his mission (turns 19 in January) and I need a good strong back to help with all the digging and lifting. It's coming along. We've got the majority of the worst bits done, now.

We did 2 raised beds today. They look lovely. Maybe not 100% perfect placement, or evenly matched with depth, but certainly good enough, as my dad says, for government work. It's tidy, and that's the important part. We've got one more bed to sort. That bed's already in place, just needs some maintenance. When I say "just" I mean that it's going to be some digging and sweating to get it done.

Then, we've got to clear out some rubbish in the back corner, and the garden is pretty much done! Just needs the grass cutting every couple weeks. I've put out some new grass seed. We'll see how much comes up and how much the birds eat. But that means the grass won't get cut for 2-3 weeks, to give it a chance. There are, of course, loads of things that could be done, but that's another job for another day, and possibly another owner!

Here's the 1 bed that's completely done. The other bed needs some rock yet, and the 3rd bed needs shoring up, so it's a mess yet.

Chaos Reigns!

2011-07-15T04:07:00.001-06:00

One of the things I have wanted to do in this house for years is, replace the flooring. Downstairs the carpet is either ok (living room) or really worn out (everywhere else). Upstairs, the carpet is pretty horrific. It is poorly put in, stained, rippled and just generally awful. Not only that, in no 2 rooms does it MATCH. So, I've wanted to replace it for ages.

As you know, I'm getting the house ready to let out. I talked to the estate agent, and he agreed that having more uniformed flooring would be a help, and that hard floor is best, since it's so much easier to keep clean and if a portion gets damaged, you don't have to replace the whole room. I prefer hard floor, anyway, so I thought, right. Let's have a look at this.

I started getting estimates for the work being done, and was sad that, it looked like this was going to be another project that would have to wait. I just wasn't going to be able to afford the £1500+ estimates I was getting. Not for another year, or so, after I'd had the house let for a while, anyway. There were other things (like getting the outside wood repainted) that were more important to the continued maintenance of the house. Well, yesterday evening, my neighbour's ex-husband came round. My neighbour's still friends with him, just happier not being married to him. So John came in and asked if I was looking for some work doing on the house, and said he'd be happy to give me a quote. I knew he'd done some (lovely) work for my neighbour, but didn't realise that was his JOB. Anyway, he went away, measured up the house (my neighbour's house is the same floor plan and size as mine), priced some things, came back and said he'd do the flooring AND the painting, materials and labour, for £1,000. I told him then and there that he had the job.

He went off straight away and got the flooring materials, dropped them off, and this morning at 9.00, he came round to start the flooring. Bless him! He says he can have the flooring done in 3-4 days, and the painting done in another 3-4 days. 2 weeks max? £1,000? Wow. And he does lovely work. I've always admired the flooring in my neighbour's house. Oh, and the flooring he's using is much nicer flooring than the ultra cheap stuff the quotes I was getting were going to be using. Bonus!

Of course, this means I can't move around the house because it's all topsy-turvey. Here's a look at my bedroom. I'm currently sitting on my bed, in the 1 foot gap between the upended mattress and the bedside table. So funny. And to get into the room, you have to climb over the new flooring, under the door to the spare bed (leaning against the door to my room) and then further under the skirting!

A Great Day Out

2011-07-10T09:05:00.001-06:00

I travelled down from Sheffield today. Heading to Colchester via London. I spent the whole afternoon in London with a dear friend. She'd come in from the South to meet me. We had a proper catchup over a pub lunch and stayed drinking Diet Coke for hours. Then we took the Tube over to Liverpool Street Station, where I dumped my luggage at the "Left Luggage" facility (Only £8.50/bag for the day, £5 for each additional day after) so we could run about unencumbered. One of the brilliant things about London is all the hidden gardens, quite historical nooks and other gems waiting for discovery. I'd previously been to St Katherine's Wharf, and knew it was one of those gems. We found several areas I'd not previously explored that were fantastic. We ogled the million-pound boats/ships (a two masted sail boat is seriously a ship!) and decided which house would be ours when we were rich and famous. Then we walked over to the South Bank and had our tea in a quite pub. I was really surprised that it wasn't jammed full of people on a Friday evening, but it wasn't. Yes, it was busy, but it wasn't crazily packed. We walked back to the station via Potter's Field, which I'd never noticed there before, and I caught the train home. A really lovely afternoon spent with one of my dearest friends.

Apparently, I'm French, and....

2011-07-08T08:43:00.001-06:00

Apparently I'm French and have applied to take the IELT English Proficency Exam.

Or at least, so claim the Sussex Downs College. I just had the strangest set of emails from them. The 1st one was saying that they'd received my application to take the exam, but couldn't process it because the date was fully booked, and the next available was the 13th of August.

Ummm... exam? What exame? I really had no idea what the exam was, much less when I had applied for it. They didn't tell me what exam, just that the date I'd applied for was full. So I replied back that, I'm sorry, but I have no idea what this is about. What exam?

The reply I got was most annoying. It read, Please see attached. The date is fully booked, the next available is 13 August.

I don't THINK so! Not on your life am I going to open an unsolicited attachment from an unknown address about an exam I have no memory of applying for. I don't care if you have an academic email address (like the .edu suffix in the states, it's .ac.uk here. Reserved for academic institutions.) They can be hacked! Or otherwise forged.

I replied back that I would not open an attachment from an unknown source, that I didn't have any knowledge of any exam. That I had no idea what their office was for, and to please give further details.

Decided to give the place a ring. So I googled the name of the institution, came up with the same number as in the email (promising) and phoned them up. I explained that I'd started to get emails from them that I could not work out what it was about. She took my name and compared it to their records and discovered that they did have an application from someone with an address in France who had given my email address. I said, well they've got it wrong, because that's me. I'm a native English speaker, American, I live in the UK (easier than explaining the real state of affairs) I have a Batchelors, 2 Masters and most of a PhD from American or UK Universities. I would be the last person to apply for an English proficiency exam.

She then tried to convince me that native English speakers do take the exam when they're emigrating abroad. Umm... not for any reason I could fathom. And I really ought to be an expert in the field! Whatever, they said they'd stop contacting me.

Good, but seriously, be more helpful in your emails. That whole thing ought to have been resolved back when I first asked what exam, after the 1st email!

Dressed for an English Summer

2011-07-07T09:03:00.001-06:00

This spring, as the weather finally began to warm up, my sister was quite appalled at the shocking lack of warm-weather clothing in my closet. But then, I've been living in England the past 7 years. What need did I have of warm-weather clothing? I had a few short sleeve tops, and a couple skirts that were lighter weight. That's more than enough for the odd day that got above 24 C (that's roughly 75 F)! It just never hots up in the UK.

So, here I am back in the UK, and true to form, it's 14 C (52 F) out there, in July! Love it! Oh, and yes it is rainy today. Not chucking it down, but definitely wet. Seriously, I adore the cooler temperatures over here. It was quite a relief to escape the building heat of the US Western Desert. Have your 40+ C (100 F) temperatures! You can keep them. I'm happy over here in my jumper with my cuppa (herbal, of course).

Belated 4th of July

2011-07-06T15:19:00.001-06:00

Every year I promise myself, I will be in the United States for Independence Day. And where am I? Not in the United States! Again! Seriously, the last time I was Stateside for the 4th was 1999! I think that's grounds for revoking my citizenship.

Anyway, instead of getting to celebrate back in the US, I always invite my friends to my house for a barbecue to "Celebrate the day we kicked you out of our country." :-D They always reply that they'd, "Love to come celebrate the day we got rid of you." Which always makes me laugh, because there's the whole, you fought us for several years to try to keep us, and then you came back later during the War of 1812, thing! Hilarious.

This year, though, it was a little different, because I wasn't in the US, but I'm not LIVING abroad, either. So I couldn't invite people round. But, my best friend, bless her, offered to help me make a 4th of July dinner for me :-) We couldn't do it on the 4th, but . . . never mind! Today is close enough.

We made pulled pork sandwiches. Here's the recipe we started off with.

We made a few tweaks.

1st - We didn't marinate (at all). We just bunged it all in together and let it simmer.
2nd - We didn't use the oven. We used the slow-cooker. Just turned it on and left it for 3 hours. Perfectly done and perfectly moist!
3rd - We didn't have all the same spices, but we got close.

It turned out absolutely PHENOMENAL! Absolutely gorgeous! Loved it. In fact, it was so good, we stuffed ourselves to the point where we can't even eat our Apple Pie!

Along side we had:
A Gorgeous Salad - Greens, Mushrooms, Bell Pepper, Carrots, Walnuts and Cranberries with Honey Mustard Dressing.
Pickled Beetroot - Ok, I know, that's not really "American", but we both absolutely love it, so we had it anyway!
Corn on the Cob - Anything more 4th of July?

Here's some photos of our yummy dinner.

Another English Adventure

2011-07-05T15:56:00.001-06:00

Over the years people have commented on my ability to laugh off the ridiculous, but minor (even when they seemed major at the time) inconveniences of live, especially with regards to travel. It stems from something my parents started when they moved to Mississippi. Now, keep in mind, we're NORTHERNERS all. Born and raised, except my mom. She's originally from New Mexico, so she's not a "Deep" Southerner. Not the same thing as a Southerner, at all. Anyway, we're none of us used to the Southern ways. That lead to a LOT of misunderstandings over their time in Mississippi. And then there were silly things like, getting lost in your new home town. They started calling these things "Mississippi Adventures". We've broadened the definition over the years, and now we have "Fill-In-The-Blank Adventures". Meaning, whenever something potentially annoying happens, or a cultural misunderstanding/clash occurs, we try to see it as an exotic adventure (even if it's in your own back yard.)

In my case, I'm having English Adventures.

Today, I somehow managed to miss my turn to get back to my friends' house from Manchester. I was going across the Peak District. Should take an hour. All the sudden I'm looking around going... how did I get here? This isn't Glossop! I'm not on the Snake Pass!!! What did I do? And I still have no idea, exactly. I know there's a round-about, and I must have taken the wrong junction off that. It's seriously the only thing I can think of. Because, it's seriously, STRAIGHT THROUGH TOWN to get to the right road. No problem!

So, instead of taking me just over an hour, it took me over TWO hours to get home! But hey... I saw a part of the Peaks I've never been to before. And, since I used to live in Sheffield, I knew how to get to my friends' house from just about anywhere in town. So I got here in the end. Just, with a litle adventure on the side.

One of My Favourite Things

2011-07-04T13:24:00.001-06:00

Well, here I am, back in the UK. I'm enjoying a lovely British Summer (read - overcast and cool.) Had to fly over for an academic conference (ha ha! What an excuse!) in Manchester. Oooh, Manchester? That's only an hour from Sheffield! So, obviously, I'm staying with my best friend and her husband. Brilliant! Anyway, since I have to go over the Peak District to get from Sheffield to Manchester, I get to enjoy the wonderful A51 Glossip Road. Also known as The Snake Pass. Love that road! It's Absolutely. Brilliant.

First of all, there's the fact I'm driving a stick shift again! Love me a manuel transmission, I do. You have so much more control of the car, and of course, you are way more involved in the drive than if all you do is stick it in drive and forget it.

Secondly, I love driving twisty windy roads. This one not only has the twisty windy roads, but it goes up and down, too! Yeay! So much fun to drive.

Third, it's got one of the best set of vistas ever. Love the gorgeous moores and dales. I'll include the photos I took on my drive home (don't worry, I was stopped in a lay-by when I took them!) And, these aren't even the most stunning views! There weren't lay-bys in those locations. Gorgeous. Wish there was a spot that I could have got a snapshot of the heather, all dark purple blooms. Stunning.

So, this is one of my favourite things:

I Love Denver In the Spring (or Ode to I-70)

2011-03-28T14:48:00.000-06:00

Mile High Blues was this weekend! Wooo hoo! Loved seeing my dance friends again. Hadn't seen many of them since I left Utah in 2009 to go back to England. Was wonderful to reconnect. And had a fantastic time dancing til the wee small hours of the morning. The best blues is always around 3 am. Ended up with some mild trauma driving home, though. Oh, and by "home" I really mean campus, to teach! I still haven't been to my place. Won't get there til sometime after 7 this evening. But, I-70 was a solid wall of snow from Denver to Grand Junction. Took us 3 extra hours to drive it, since we could only go between 25 and 45 MPH the whole way. Not fun. And even at that, we ended up spinning out, doing a 180 in the road! Fortunately we were going really slow, so we didn't have any problems. Just a bit of excitement. And it was the best possible location. Flat area, no cliff, no traffic... as perfect a spinout as you could have. We didn't even leave the road! We just basically spun around to face the other way. Seems like I always have this trouble driving home from Mile High Blues. Must be trying to tell me something.... like I should stay in Denver with the awesome dancing.

MIA, I Know

2011-03-24T14:28:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you're all wondering if I'm even still alive. And for a while, yes, I've been wondering the same thing! I've had some HORRIBLE miserable sinus issues the last few months. I was "layed low" in a serious way. All sorts of miserable. At one point, it was even a struggle to get from my bed to the sofa because my inner ear was so bunged up. Vertigo. Seriously, not fun. I have only had it once before, when I was a missionary in Chile. This wasn't *quite* as bad as that. But only because the antibiotics actually worked this time. In Chile I had to have surgery to fix it. So, fortunately I'm surgery free. But, it wasn't fun.

I'm on the mend now. I still have a bit of a stuffy head, but only slightly more than normal, and less than most people with mild alergies in the summer. I'm trying to be good and not make things worse. But, that's why I've been MIA so long.

Queen of the Kitchen

2010-12-25T23:29:00.001-07:00

Every year, we're faced with the same dilemma... how does one dress for the Kitchen on Christmas Eve? (Or Christmas Day, depending.) Well, this year, I figured it out. I grabbed my favourite jeans, a yummy green satin blouse, my red jumper, a red embroidered apron to keep me clean and.......

MY TIARA!

Yep! I dressed up in my tiara! I'd actually planned it the previous day, but I left it at home, accidentally. So, when Dad went over to get Grandma at lunch time (Grandma's living with me for a few months whilst she goes through knee replacement surgeries), I had him pick up the box that I'd set on my table that morning. He didn't know what was inside. Just brought it over. I just put it on, and didn't say anything. At some point, someone, either Mom or Lois, came in the kitchen and said, "Are you wearing a Tiara?!?" I smiled and said, "Yep! I'm Queen of the Kitchen today!"

Here I am, reigning over my domain:

Now, I usually do a lot of the cooking for Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, this year I did a little extra, because my nephew was demanding lots of time from my sister. So, we had a very royal house this week:

Queen of the Kitchen (Me)
The Little Emperor (My Nephew)
The Emperor's Slave (My Sister)

The Emperor even has a "Jade Throne". It's one of those BebePods, and it's green, so when the subject of his being the Emperor came up, I just naturally named his Pod "The Jade Throne." I wish I could post a few photos of him in his throne (he LOVES it), but I must defer to the Emperor's wishes (or at least his slave's wishes!)

Anyway, here's some more images from the Kitchen Realm:

The finished product (Apple Pie) was absolutely divine! I hate to brag, but I really am justified in proclaiming myself Queen of the Kitchen. You've never had Turkey or Apple Pie til you've had my Turkey and Apple Pie!

Happy Christmas

2010-12-25T00:17:00.000-07:00

My favourite Christmas song is "O Holy Night" by Placide Cappeau de Roguemaure, in 1847. I'm sure you're all familiar with the lyrics, but, tonight is the commemoration of that Holy Night. Sure, we know that Christ couldn't have been born in December, and that we celebrate His birth on the pagan solstice festival, but the point isn't when he was actually born. The point was, He was born! That is what we celebrate. So I've included the words below:

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

May you have the Happiest of Christmas' this year.

Much love, wherever you are,
Adele.

Did I Mention?

2010-12-23T00:42:00.000-07:00

BYU (my undergrad Uni) has hired me again! Remember when I popped my head into the Head of Dept's office, and he asked if I would do him a favour and teach his class? Well, he also offered me a job for next term! Wooo hoo! I'll be teaching Intro to English Linguistics (which totally rocks because 1 - I've taught it before, 2 - It was the class I discovered Linguistics in, and 3 - It was the class that I met one of my dearest friends (Hi Coi!) in. I've got a soft spot for that class.) and a 500 level course on Sociolinguistics (which is my area of expertise!)

Sadly, that put paid to my plans for NYC for New Years and Boston for the following weekend of Blues Dancing *cry* But, the job is slightly more important. I WILL come visit, Livia, CEG and Diana! I do promise. Just... not next weekend.

Christmas Bloghop

2010-12-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hi there. Looking for Adele's installment of the Christmas Bloghop? Well... you've sort of found me. Some wires got a bit crossed, though, and the actual post is over HERE. Don't know what I'm talking about? Well, come join us. Start by hitting Amanda's blog. There are some fun Christmas projects and even a few giveaways! See you on the other Blog!

The Little Things

2010-12-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was coming home around 9.00 in the evening, and I stopped at a petrol station. I was tired and thirsty, so I decided to get a fountain drink as a little treat. (Fountain drinks taste so much better than their bottled equivalents!) So I went in the shop and got my drink, then went to the counter to pay, and the guy behind the til said, "Is that it for you?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Well then, how about, on the house tonight?" I looked up (I'd been digging through my bag to find my purse) and I could feel my face light up! I said, "Well, that's very kind of you! Thank you! Merry Christmas!" and left the shop. But my grin lasted for HOURS! Completely disproportionate to the small kindness offered. I know that soda pop is just about the cheapest stuff on the planet, and they make an enormously ridiculous profit on them, but . . . that didn't matter. It had made my day to get that drink free.

Non-Dairy Treats

2010-12-08T23:13:00.001-07:00

My darling nephew is lactose intolerant. I mean SERIOUSLY intolerant. Rotten thing. My sister can't even eat margarine with the tiniest HINT of milk in. So, we've been getting creative. Especially as the Christmas season approaches, she's been feeling the tragedy as the rest of us have started enjoying the holiday goodies. (Oh, my nephew doesn't like my sister to eat chocolate, either!)

This evening, we went to a cookie swap, and obviously that meant we had to bring a cookie to share. So, I thought, I know! I'll do a sugar cookie that's dairy-free. That way she'll be able to eat at least one of the treats. So I did some digging.

Found out 2 things
1 - There are tons of yummy recipes out there that are dairy-free.
2 - Coconut oil can be used to replace butter in just about anything, and it's WAY better for you than either butter, margarine or anything hydrogenated. (But, you have to get the extruded (ie- pressed) stuff, because the heat extraction hydrogenates, at least partly, the oil.)

Anyway, we made sugar cookies using this recipe (click for a closer look):

Oh! They were divine! I'm so pleased!!! The sugar cookie recipe would be the most amazing recipe to use if you wanted to cut shapes with a cookie cutter, because they don't lose their shape. They'll stay a crisp cut, rather than becoming a blob. And, if you bake them til just under "done" they'll be chew inside and crisp outside. Oh... one thing I learned.... I like the temperature a little lower than you usually find it in recipes. So, even though this one calls for 375 F, I went with 350 F. Just a matter of personal preference. Also, rather than replacing the vanilla, like I suggest in the cookie recipe, with peppermint, you can add a tiny amount (I used 1/2 tsp) of peppermint to the mix w/o changing anything else, and give it a hint of peppermint!

Lest You Think I've Gone Native

2010-11-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

Just in case my British friends are worried that, having moved back to the US, I've completely forgot all that I've learnt about being British....

I tried to get in the wrong side of the car today.

Again.

This is at least the 3rd time this week. This time, with witnesses!

Thankful Thinkings

2010-11-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

It's the day after Thanksgiving. That means? No, not a mad rush to the stores. I don't DO Black Friday. It means I sit and get soppy thinking about my life.

Well, as you are already aware, this has been a year of change for me. Moving Stateside again has had its challenges, but, one of the best bits has been spending extra time with my sister and her family. I am seriously head-over-heels for my nephew. He's just the most darling little guy on the face of the planet! I wish I could show you, but I'm honouring my sister and brother-in-law's requests for no photos (at least right now) on publicly available forums. Anyway, I'm terribly thankful for the opportunity to be living down the street from him and getting to watch him grow. He's delightful! And... I've discovered that I'm GOOD at getting him to calm down! (This is mostly because I don't mind walking in circles around the house and saying "Shhhhhh!" in his ear for hours at a time.)

However, as much as I love my sister (and let's face it, she's the centre of my universe!) and her family... I love my UK family, too. And I miss them. I've been terribly homesick for you all. *sniff* So, I'm also very thankful that I don't have to choose between my American and my UK families. I'm so glad I don't live 200 years ago when it was so difficult to move between locations, even on the same continent! Never mind crossing the ocean! Heck, I'm even glad it isn't 50 years ago, when travel was still very much a thing for the elite! I'm also sooooo grateful for my heart-bigger-than-the-whole-world friend, Vee. She's been the one to make it possible for me to live on two continents. And I hope she knows that I don't take that for granted. She rocks, and I love her.

I'm also grateful for the internet and skype. Yeay for instant communication across the ocean! It let me stay close with my family when I lived in England, and now that I'm Stateside it's letting me keep up with my English connections. Not to mention my other widely scattered friends (Australia, New Zeleand, Ethiopia . . .)

I'm also crazy grateful for my parents. If I need any sort of help, they're the first in the queue to make it happen. And, I hope they know I realise that means sacrifices (of time, if nothing else!) on their part. I love them and wouldn't trade them for any other parents. Ever. I got the best of the best, and feel sorry for everyone else (except my sister, obviously) who doesn't have my parents! Neener-neener! Yes, of course they drive me batty, but when the chips are down, they really come through. (And, I promise, I'm trying to be more patient!)

And just at the moment, I'm grateful for my awesome Jeep. We got blasted by a blizzard, and my Jeep handled the weather beautifully! Also, grateful for indoor heating (and plumbing!) It's COLD outside, and I'm glad it's NOT cold inside!

That's Travel in Winter!

2010-11-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

My parents are coming for Thanksgiving. Well, that's the plan, anyway. As things stand, they're going no where. There's a blizzard (literally, according to the weather report, it's officially a blizzard) that's got I-15 closed basically all along Idaho. And, a couple hours ago, the blizzard hit here. I'm looking out my window, and all I can see is white. Even though it's dark, still... all I can see is white! Yep. It's Winter in Utah! We'll see if things ease up tomorrow. If not, they probably won't make it for Thanksgiving at all. Well, that's what traveling in winter is like. I always complained in England that we didn't get enough snow. So, welcome home, I guess!

Evaporation; Not Just for Liquids!

2010-11-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to put my flat together for a couple weeks now. And, honestly, I've been doing a pretty fair job. A couple of things have been on hold, though, because the IKEA loft bed that I bought, with attached desk, under the loft, didn't have screws with the desk part. Or, at least, I couldn't find any. It's possible, I suppose, that I tossed the screws when I got rid of the packaging. But, I did try and locate them before I decluttered. Never saw them. Nor a hint of them. So I made a trip down South (IKEA is at the extreme South end of the valley, and I'm at the North) to get them. No problem. The attendant went straight back to the spare parts area to locate the missing bits. And she found them.... well, most of them. She couldn't locate one screw, of which I needed two. So so put in a request and had them shipped to my house directly. That was back on Thursday of last week. Fast forward to this Friday. The screws appeared in my postbox! Yeay! Now I can complete my desk, right?

HA!

I go up to my flat, open the package, take the screws out and put them with the other screws, in a Ziploc plastic baggie. I vividly remember doing this. I set them down and went to find the screwdriver. Come back, get the desk bits out..... and the screws have evaporated! *poof* Gone. Seriously. I took the flat apart looking for them. I put the flat back together, looking for them. I've searched for TWO SOLID DAYS for them. I. Cannot. Find. These. Screws. (Yes, yes, I know I've always had a few screws loose. But these ones are missing all together!)

Lois said she'd come help me search on Monday. Seriously, I really doubt she'll find them. I've searched every surface, every drawer, every box. I've even checked the rubbish. TWICE! I've looked in all the obvious spots, and started looking in some really strange ones; the dishwasher, the fridge, the bathroom cupboards.... just on the off chance that I wasn't paying attention to what was in my hands. I have no idea what has happened to these screws! It's making me crazy. And, on top of that, it's keeping me from finishing getting my things settled. I can't set up my office til I get the desk squared away!

And the Winner Is.......

2010-11-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is a couple days late. Things have been a bit insane! Anyway, I've managed to get the name drawn, and the winner is.....

KELLIE!

Kellie, text me your address and I'll get Shaun to autograph the book for you! I'm sure both your girls are going to love it!

Another Book Giveaway!

2010-11-06T17:20:00.001-06:00

Another friend of mine has published a new book! It's called This: A Vampire Cure for Forever, by Shaun Roundy. I'm giving away a copy of the book that which he's agreed to autograph. If you want to check out more about him and the book, check here. The rules for entering the giveaway are as usual:

Leave a comment here.
Become a follower of the blog. (Leave a note saying you already are, or have now become.)
Post a link from your blog to mine. (Leave me a note saying you've done it.)
Post a link from your blog to the Amazon listing for the book. (Leave me a note saying you've done it.)

So, you can have up to 4 entries in the draw. But, you must do this by Wednesday, 11.59pm Mountain. I'll post the winner on Thursday.

Congrats to Shaun for his new book being published!

*EDIT*

Please note: this drawing is now closed. The winner is Kellie! Congratulations, Kellie.

*END EDIT*

Wow, Masters Students Rock

2010-11-05T12:59:00.000-06:00

Some exciting news! My old boss at BYU, the Chair for the Linguistics Department, is out of town for 2 weeks. He'd been asked last minute to present at 2 conferences, one in Dubai, one in Nepal. I happened to pop my head in his office on Monday, and he was leaving Tuesday. On seeing me, he asked if I'd do him the huge favour (and he's Australian, so yes... he said it with a 'u') of teaching his Master's class while he was away. Umm... YES! So yesterday I went down to BYU and taught my 1st Master's class! And it was so much fun. Small class, only 6 students, and they were all engaged with the materials I'd emailed them, participating, making really excellent observations or asking insightful questions. Brilliant. I may be spoilt for life!

And the Winner Is.......

2010-10-26T00:01:00.005-06:00

And the winner of the free, autographed copy of Revenge of the Dorkoids is......

Kelly Massman, who said:

I am a librarian who is working as a tutor! I love that your mom wrote a book and was published! Yay! Thanks for the chance to win!

Congrats, Kelly! Be sure to send me an email (Use this: It's private and secure!) with your contact details! Congratulations!

For everyone else, well... there's always Amazon! And, if you want an autographed copy, I can hook you up there, too! And, you never know when I might decide to do another giveaway! Christmas is coming, after all!

My Mom, the Author!

2010-10-19T14:28:00.001-06:00

I'm so proud of my mom! Simply bursting at the seams, proud!!! She's worked so hard for the past two years getting her book written, accepted for publication, edited, illustrated..... and all that hard work has finally paid off! Her book, Revenge of the Dorkoids: the Secret Club Begins has hit Amazon! It's about three 6th grade boys who are the smartest in their class, and how they beat the bullies, without stooping to the bullies level! It also uses those sesquipedalian/polysyllabic (ie: big) words you're always hoping your kids will learn, as a secret language! How fun is that? Did you know English could be a secret language?

It's actually available for order at Barns & Noble and Borders, too. But it's not in store yet... she's too new an author. Do you have any idea how tough it is to get into the book stores?!? There's a lot of competition for that. So, to help my mom out, I'm offering a free, autographed, copy of her book to one of my readers!

There are 4 ways to earn a chance to win the book, so you can have up to 4 entries into the drawing:

Leave a comment on my blog here.
Become a follower of my blog. (If you're already a follower, leave me a note telling me.)
Post a link on your blog to my blog, specifically mentioning the book. (Leave me a note in the comments with the link to your post.)
Post a link on your blog to the Amazon listing for Mom's book. (Leave me a note in the comments with the link to your post.)

Be sure to make your postings and comments by 11.59pm Mountain, Monday 25 October! I'll draw the name on Tuesday and post the winner then.

Want more info on the book itself? Here's a list of resources:

Oooh, Free Stuff!

2010-10-10T21:41:00.000-06:00

I love free stuff! Who doesn't? My friend V is having a giveaway over on her blog. Go check it out!

Data Crash!

2010-09-27T11:05:00.001-06:00

So... I've been nursing my laptop along for the past year and a half... maybe even closer to 2 years, now. It's been really wanting to roll over and play dead. But, I have been doing all sorts to make it last as long as possible. However, all things must come to an end. And the end has come for my computer! It has officially died. This past week I went to turn it on one morning, and it said, "Nope. I'm not playing." It has refused to load ever since. *sigh* Fortunately, since I'm staying with my sister for the moment, I'm not without computer facilities. However, I do miss the laptop mobility! When my boxes arrive from the UK (fingers crossed for this week) I'll get my tiny laptop back. It's not really a good substitute computer for me, but it works great for mobile internet!

FORTUNATELY, I have everything backed up on both my external hard drive, and an internet backup service. So, I'm good as far as my data goes!
So, since I have to replace my laptop, I figured, I might as well do it right. So I've given my brother-in-law the specs on what I need, and he's come up with a plan of action. He's going to build me one! Yeay! Once I find a place to live I'll be ordering my new computer parts. So exciting! Sad when the old one dies, but this new one will be SO much fun!

JetLagging

2010-09-17T20:23:00.000-06:00

I've arrived. It was quite an exhausting trip. But, not bad. I left my house in England at 4.30 in the morning. Caught the 4.45 train to London, Liverpool St. Then caught the Tube to Faringdon Station and jumped on the Themeslink to Gatwick. That got me to Gatwick for 7.00. Got checked in, no problem. I was flying standby again (one of my friends calls it "High Class Hitchhiking"), so I didn't know if I'd get on the plane until just before they closed the flight. But, fortunately, YEAY! they let me on. And, not just 'let me on'. They let me on in 1st class! Wooo hoo! This is a wonderful thing. Especially since I hadn't slept at all the night before! I slept for about half the flight, had some decent food, and watched a couple of films.

Funny side note - when I was filling out the Customs form, they ask what you're bringing into the US. And, I could NOT remember what was in my suitcases! I'd packed them so long ago (4 - 6 weeks) that I totally couldn't remember what was in these bags, and what I'd shipped! Ooops. Well, not a big deal, anyway, because if you've owned it for more than 12 months, you don't have to declare it.

Got through Customs in Atlanta, and all the sudden . . . I hear my name! I look up and there was my friend, V! She's my "dealer" - my Delta Connection. She's my wonderful friend that lets me fly on her Buddy Pass. Bless her cotton socks! She flew from Louisiana to Georgia to meet my plane! Isn't she a sweetie?

Here's the photo she took of my plane landing:

And here's a photo of me coming through security:

And finally, here's a photo of me and V together!

I have good friends! She's such a sweetie! It was such a wonderful surprise (she had mentioned she might come meet me, but I'd forgotten til I was ON the plane!) to see her gorgeous face. We sat in the terminal and she had lunch and I had a Diet Coke. And we had a great little chat. All the sudden, she's saying, "Well, my flight's going to be leaving here shortly, so we'd better get down to the gate." I was like, "WHAT?!? Already?" Seriously, it felt like we'd been there 2 seconds, not an hour and a half! So not enough time with the fabulous Miss Onigar!

After V got off, I was just kicking around the terminal for an hour. And then... I didn't get on the plane :( They didn't have room for me. Oh well! So I went down to the next terminal/gate and waited an hour. And didn't get on there, either! This was totally dejavu from the last trip I had through Atlanta! I got on the London leg fine, couldn't get on the first 2 flights from Atlanta, and only BARELY got on the 3rd flight! It was seriously a close thing! The gate agents were standing there, in the corridor, checking to see if anyone was legging it down the concourse trying to make the flight. Since they weren't the put me on the plane instead. I was literally the last person to get on! I curled up against the side of the plane, and fell asleep before the fasten seat belt sign went off.... and didn't wake up til I heard the Captain say they were turning them back on because we were coming in for landing! I was very tired! I've only managed to sleep in coach (for more than just a few minutes) once before. Mind you, I wasn't complaining about being in coach. I was just glad to be on the plane! And the sleeping was wonderful!

Anyway, I did manage to arrive to Salt Lake safe and sound. I've been trying to get my feet back under me, but I'm afraid it's been quite a challenge. Babies make a lot of noise in the middle of the night! (Not complaining about that,either!)

Waiting for My Taxi

2010-09-14T21:10:00.000-06:00

It's done. I've got everything packed up, packed away, sold off or shipped out. I'm just sitting here waiting for my taxi to the train station. It's only a mile, but . . . at 4.20am, and with luggage, I don't fancy walking down to the station on my own. My flight's at 9.00am, from Gatwick, changing planes at Atlanta. Let's hope we don't have a repeat of my last visit through Atlanta: stuck for 5 days and ending up in a different country than originally intending! Yep, let's hope that doesn't happen again! I'd also love it if I got put in business class. After the week I've had, I'd really like to sleep on the flight! Anyway, I'm off shortly. Very strange feeling.

90%

2010-09-13T09:12:00.000-06:00

As a missionary, my companions always laughed at me. I'd get the call that I was going to be moving to a new area, and I'd start packing. No problem. I'd get 85-90% done.... and freak. Why? No idea. I get overwhelmed by the last 10-15%. Silly, true, but that's me! And, true to form, I've got about 90% done for my move.... and I'm fighting a panic attack. *breathe*

Remebering 9/11

2010-09-11T09:54:00.000-06:00

As it's the 9th Anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, I've been thinking about the effect it has had on our world.

There are no words to describe what kind of event that was. "Tragedy" "Horror" "Terrible" None of these words are able to convey the enormity of the event. And, that's a good thing. If we had the words to talk about it, we'd be living in a world where it was commonplace. For anyone who's interested in the academics of how we discuss extraordinary events, Gail Jefferson's article, At First I Thought: A Normalising Device for Extraordinary Events, is a fascinating read. And, even though it's an academic article, it's not an esoteric read. The language is very down to earth and readable.

Tragic as that day was, there was some good that came out of it. The individual stories of heroism, strength and fortitude. The stories of those who sacrificed themselves on the 4th plane, refusing to be the tool of those who would do evil. The stories of those who risked everything to help as many people escape the towers, many of whom did not make it themselves. And, of course, the marvelous miracles of those who helped and did escape. To you, whether you've dedicated your lives to helping others as emergency response personnel, or whether you're the average joe who stepped up on that anything-but-average day, I thank you. I thank you for not being human - for being super-human and doing what needed to be done. Some of those acts were extraordinarily dangerous. Others were quiet. All were heroic.

T-Minus 5 Days!

2010-09-10T17:01:00.000-06:00

I'm down to 5 days before I move! That's frightening! I've got so much left to do.... aaaaak!

Off to go do!

Change Is in the Wind

2010-09-03T06:49:00.000-06:00

Ok, way back in . . . May? I said something about the fact that changes were coming, which was a good part of why I had been rather absent from my blog. Some of you will already be aware of what this change is, since you've been helping me deal with it or get ready for it. But, for those who don't know, here's the official announcement.

I'm leaving England and moving back to the United States.

This was not a decision I made lightly. It came after nearly a year of consideration. I really feel like it's the right decision, but at the same time, my heart is breaking.

My move date is 15 September, and I'm heading to Salt Lake. My sister lives there, and I'm due to be an auntie (Today! She's at Labour & Delivery as I'm writing this!) so there's a dual pull there. My plan is to be there for a year, and then see where I need to go, what I need to do at that point.

My New Favourite Advert!

2010-08-30T14:14:00.000-06:00

After you click play, select "Play List" and select "Watch TV Ad". Truly 3 minutes not wasted. Brilliant!

Fabulous Finds

2010-07-31T07:05:00.001-06:00

I've always loved antique furniture. There's something satisfying about using items that have been used by generations before. The items have more . . . soul, I guess. Don't get me wrong, some things are better new: mattresses, for example. I really don't want a 200+ year old mattress, thank you! But, my desk? My kitchen table? Yeah, I'd rather have something old. Besides, it's likely to be better built!

Anyway, since we were in the Cotswolds, I figured it was a good time to check out some fun antiques. So fun. There are loads of antique shops in the Cotswolds. Sadly, most of it is just way out of my price range. But I did find a couple of fun things.

The first of these finds is a brass door knocker. Don't know how old it really is. I wouldn't say it was actually an antique. But it's very cute.

The scene is Corfe Castle, in Devon, and the village. I completely love it! I'm not sure if I'll put it up on the front door or not. At the moment it's on my living room door.

The other fun find is this awesome antique money box.

It's got these 4 slots on the lid for coins. Then, when you pull open the drawers below, you find that the drawers are subdivided into 2, so there are actually 4 compartments. Cute huh? The bottom drawer is just what it appears. A single drawer.

The box is elm, from the early years of the 19th Century (1800s). Isn't it fantastic?

So excited by my new finds! Completely love them both!

The Cotswolds

2010-07-31T05:17:00.002-06:00

Mom and I took short break to the Cotswolds. That's an area in SouthWest England, for those of you not familiar with English geography. It's a stunning area. The villages are all built out of this golden limestone, so they glow in the sunlight. Really pretty. And, of course, the narrow winding roads! You know I loved those. I always tell Mom that the sign of a good road is if you have to change gears more than once! And, if it's got canopies, even better. :D

Feeling a bit sluggish (have had this sinus congestion for a couple weeks now) so I'm going to be really lazy and just put the Flickr Gallery here, rather than a walk through of what we did and saw. I know, lazy. But... it's either that, or you don't get the update at all! Warning, though... it's LONG. 214 photos worth. And, I haven't gone through and edited anything, or deleted the horrible ones. So, you're stuck with all the warts and blurry photos.

Don't Miss Out!

2010-07-22T07:50:00.000-06:00

Thinking of redoing your bathroom? Need a bit of a sprucing up? Have a look at my friend V's blog. She's got a giveaway going for $40 gift certificate that will give you a leg up!

Baby Blessings and Other Mischief

2010-07-09T18:09:00.001-06:00

Remember back in April when I said that my friends M&J had their baby, Peanut? Well, this last Sunday, he was blessed. I drove up on Saturday to spend the weekend in Sheffield. It was a double blessing (first seeing M&J and the baby!): My Mom got to meet all the wonderful people I became friends with when I lived up North. We stayed with the Bradbury Family (whom I always refer to as "the Redheaded Family" because all 3 of the kids and their dad are ginger, and their mum's a bit on the ginger side.) They live nearest M&J, and I love them DEARLY. In a perfect world I'd get to live near all my favourite people. *sigh* Someday, yes? We also had a lovely visit with my friend Sarah, whom I haven't seen in years! She up and moved to Australia for a year, then got hitched and moved farther North, so it's a little more complicated to see her. *grumble* Anyway, we had a grand time visiting with her and her family after the blessing on Sunday. Also, J's favourite cake in the world is my Spice Cake. So she asked me to make one for the dinner after the blessing. Naturally I couldn't just do a plain cake. I had to make it pretty! Now, I'm SO not a pro-baker. But, I do enjoy playing around with the decorating. I'd love to have mad skills, but sadly the combination of heat and car vibrations on the 4 hour drive north didn't do my feeble attempts to make it cute any favours. But here's what it looked like when I first finished it off:

My mother made the baby booties and I did the rest. (If you want the recipe, here's the link.)

So, since we were going to be up north all weekend, we made plans to visit the Lake District. I'd never been before, so thought it would be the perfect opportunity to check it out. I booked a place at a National Trust place. They have various cottages and flats that they rent out. We stayed at Acorn Bank. It was a wonderful spot! Just outside of Penrith. We totally had a ball walking through the countryside. I especially enjoyed driving the crazy narrow winding roads. The best bit was this one bump, where you went over it and our stomachs dropped out from under us! It was fantastic! (Yes, I know. I'm nuts.)

Here's some photos of the walks we did.

The Lake District is also famously where Beatrix Potter lived for many years. In fact, she bought many of the farms in the area, and left them in a trust (now called the National Trust, which is now the US equivalent of the National Parks) upon her death. Many of the stories she wrote are set in and around the area, either inspired by her visits to the area as a child, or once she had returned to live as an adult. In fact, if you pay attention to the stories, you can recognise the locations and even the streets! It's pretty cool. We went to Hill Top Farm (her home), but it was raining, so we didn't want to wait the hour before we could get in. Instead, we went to the "Beatrix Potter's World". It had scenes from all the books done out in gorgeous diorama. Really delicate and pretty. They also had a kitchen garden set out like Mr McGregor's Garden, complete with Peter's jacket and shoes!

On Wednesday, we started back home, but rather than driving across on the Moterway, we drove along Hadrian's Wall. It was great exploring the ruined forts and walking along the wall, hiking up to the beautiful crags. At least, that is, until I took a tumble and twisted my ankle. As many of you know, this is not an unusual occurrence for me! I did manage to walk it off, but it was getting late, and we still had a long drive South to make, so we decided to call it a day.

Veni, Vidi, Vici

Great weekend and fun couple of days in the Lake District. I totally recommend it to anyone!

My New Favourite Place

2010-07-02T11:04:00.001-06:00

My mom's in town! Wooo hoo! And, since she's here, I figured it'd be great fun to enjoy some English Traveling. So, Tuesday (last week) I was thinking about various places we could go and thought, I've never been to the Channel Islands. So, suggested to mom that we see about going there. Jumped on the internet, found cheap flights and a hotel, and we took off the next day! Got in late Wednesday afternoon.

Had a wonderful walk down from the hotel to St Brelade's Bay. It short, but VERY steep. Our hotel was up on the ridge. Then, once we got down to the bay, we discovered a fabulous promenade all the way along the bay, with fantastic restaurants. We had dinner at the Crab Shack. Yummy brochette and crab cakes. Yum!

Of course, dinner's not finished until you've had dessert, and what sort of dessert would you go for, when on Jersey, than Jersey Cream Ice Cream? Yeay!

After our lovely dinner we walked along the beach. The tide was out, and in Jersey that's really saying something! We walked down to the outcropping of rocks at one end of the bay and had fun climbing around them looking into the tide pools.

In the morning we rented a car (parking on Jersey is challenging. Actually, the parking isn't so bad, it's the PAYING for the parking that's frustrating) and went out to the "new" Elizabeth Castle. It was built starting in 1600 to replace the older castle which was not really suitable for gunpowder warfare. It was cool, but really the walk out (it was low tide) and back was our favourite part. Well, that and seeing the nesting Oyster Catcher bird and the Oyster Catcher with 3 chicks! Adorable balls of fluff on legs (with LONG beaks.)

This is the Oyster Catcher bird. It looks like she's caged in, but she's not. It's open on both ends. It's to give her protection from the tourists taking photos (she's RIGHT text to the path!)

Since the path is only walkable during low tide, and not everyone wants to walk, they have an amphibious vehicle to shuttle tourists back and forth to the Castle. Mom and I walked both ways, but we had to be sure not to get caught by the tide on the rout back.

After our foray to Elizabeth Castle, we went up to the older Mont Orgueil. This turned out to be our absolute favourite stop of the whole island! First of all, it's a "proper" castle. Meaning, it's a "bows and arrows" castle with towers and a curtain wall and courtyards and what you think of when you hear the word "castle". We got there rather late in the day, and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring every nook and cranny, every tower and every cellar. And, it took AGES. It's an ENORMOUS castle! And the staff who run it were brilliant. They told us to make sure we tried every staircase and every door,
because there were a lot of hidden gems. We had such a great time finding all the treasures.

It's difficult to tell in this photo, but the knight has Jersey Cows in relief on the front of his breastplate, and also a cow head on the top of the helmet!

This was awesome. I asked at the front desk and they said yes, it did work, but the proportions must be wrong, because it only throws something about 30 yards. So, it was a bit sad. Well, for non-experts, I still say that's pretty good!

We stayed so long that they had to come find us to tell us they were closing up. We were literally the last visitors to leave the castle!

We were so tired after all our traipsing around castles that we just wanted dinner and bed. Drove out to the scenic Corbiere Point for dinner and watched the sun set while we ate. Then we went back to the hotel and crashed. We were that tired!

The beds were not my favourite. I really struggled to sleep the whole night. Never the less, managed to get a bit of kip. Got up in the morning, and Mom discovered she was pretty stiff from all our walking. She didn't have as much trouble with the beds as I did, but I'm in better shape physically, so she felt the walking more.
For some reason, this is the summer of Neolithic Passage Tombs, because that was our first stop of the morning. The tomb was a little different from the ones in Ireland. This one didn't have a corbelled roof, for example, and you had to walk bent double for 9 meters. And the biggest difference is in the inner chamber. In the Irish tombs, there was the inner chamber, with three small "rooms" radiating off, forming a cross (including the passageway itself.) In the Jersey one, it's still got the 3 rooms, but the middle one, directly opposite the passageway, is much larger, and has an area that could have functioned as a Vestibule-type place from a modern church. Kind of interesting.

After our visit to the tomb, we drove around, just looking at the country side. It was really pretty, but the best bit were these CRAZY narrow roads! Oh so fun. You know it's going to be a great drive when the wing mirrors on both sides are touching the hedgerows. *insert evil grin here*

After lunch at the Victoria Pub, we drove around a bit more before heading to the Durrell Trust, which is their zoo. On Fridays they have late openings. So we figured we'd go down and see the animals at dusk, when we thought they'd be most active. Sadly, they weren't all that visible, much less even active! Never mind. We did see a few things. Specifically, we enjoyed the birds. They have 2 walk through aviaries. They were way fun. Saw some brightly coloured birds, and even a chick "sitting in a silly place" (quote from the advisory upon entering the aviary that you shouldn't touch the birds, and that the adults would get out of the way, but the chicks might still be sitting in silly places.)

We went back to the Crab Shack for dinner on the beach. Really tough to beat good crab cakes in the ocean breeze and sun shine, with a view of the sea.

Saturday was our last day on the Island. Our flight didn't leave til late in the day (6.00 pm) so we had the full day to enjoy. In the morning we toured the Jersey War Tunnels. The Channel Islands were the only part of Great Britain which was occupied by the Nazis during WWII. And they were EVERYWHERE. You can't go to any part of the island where there aren't bunkers and other remnants of the occupation. The War Tunnels house a museum about life during the occupation. I didn't realise before that the Channel Islands were occupied from 1940 clear through til 3 days after VE Day! An entire year after France was liberated!

We went back to the Victoria Pub for lunch, and then back out to the Corbiere Lighthouse. The tide is particularly dramatic out there, with a 40 foot difference between high and low tide. During low tide you can walk out to the lighthouse, but you have to be really careful, because the tide, in addition to being a huge drop/rise, it's also extremely quick to come in.

The point has several examples of the German occupation buildings. The observation tower

And the bunker.

After enjoying the sea breeze and the sunshine, we decided it was time to head to the airport and get checked in for the flight. It was sad to leave the island, but I have to admit.... I was looking forward to my own mattress! We highly enjoyed the trip to Jersey, and seriously, it's on my list of places to visit!

Got Any Bullying Stories?

2010-06-15T11:10:00.004-06:00

My mom's book is getting published!!! Wooo hoo!

Anyway, the premise of the book is about some kids who are being bullied, and how they handle it. So, she's looking for some real life bullying stories. If you or your kids have any stories, and you'd be willing to share, her email is HollySBeck (at) gmail (dot) com* and put in the subject line "Bullying Story." The more details the better! (And, there are loads of different types of bullying, from mean text messages to "mean girls" to getting physically bullied. All of it is useful.)

Thanks for any help!

*I've put the email address up that way to keep down spam email!

The Full Parade

2010-06-15T07:25:00.000-06:00

If you want to see ALL of the photos (the good, the bad and the ugly), They're on my Flickr Account.

An Irish Week (Pt 2)

2010-06-14T18:03:00.000-06:00

When last we left our Heroine, she had just returned from spelunking at Marble Arch Caves......

Sunday, Jessie and I were pretty worn out from all our walking on Saturday. So, we took it easy and had a lazy morning. We eventually made it out the door around 11.30 in the morning, and went out to Fore Abby Ruins. Figured, since it was Sunday, we might as well try for something ecclesiastical. The ruin was lovely. I was actually surprised how much of it still had a roof. But, what was almost cooler, was the field you walked through to get up to the ruin was solid yellow irises! Really lovely. Only a few were in bloom when we were there, but you could imagine what it would look like all in bloom.

The tiny baby bunny was awfully cute!

After our Abby Walk we drove through the countryside for a while. I have this crazy enjoyment of driving down these insanely narrow winding roads. Jessie indulged my bizarre habit, and we spent a while just driving, and seeing the beautiful countryside.

Eventually we stopped at the Loghcrew Gardens (just down the street from that burial I talked about in my last post.) They were setting up for an Opera that evening, and that was kind of cool to see. Also, there was a very fun Alice in Wonderland walk, where they've got all these different scenes out of the book: the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, the Cheshire Cat, Alice talking to the Caterpillar, the White Rabbit rushing down the rabbit hole.... It's pretty fun! And, there's a fabulous zipline, which was sadly NOT open when we were there :( But, mostly it was the fabulous flowers and gardens that kept us wandering for 2 hours.

We finished off the day by doing some more driving. Just aimless wandering again. It was really beautiful, and so relaxing. We made it home WAY before the boys (they were 5 hours late!) and Jessie, bless her, decided she wouldn't be a "Proper Irish Mam" if she let me go off without some homemade soda bread. So she made some! It was DIVINE!

Monday was a Bank Holiday for Ireland, so we had another relaxing morning. Originally I'd planned on getting out of Jessie's hair that day to let them get back on schedule for the week. But, they wouldn't let me leave! They were so wonderful and kind, and we did have a fabulous day. We (all) took the boys to McDonalds for lunch before heading to a gorgeous forest. On the way, we stopped and got Jessie a new camera! (Her old one was having difficulties, which was annoying because it was brand new!)

The next morning (Tuesday) I got up and drove to the Northern Coast, up to the Giant's Causeway. This is one of the things I've always said, "I'll go there someday." Finally! I've made it! Woo hoo! It was pretty awesome. Unfortunately, it was also the only properly rainy day I had the whole trip. I hiked around, nonetheless, but did get pretty wet! I wore my mac on purpose, but didn't have an umbrella. Never mind, I really wanted my hands free to climb! After roaming the rocks for a few hours, I booked a place at a Farm B&B. It was just up the road a little. The lovely owner offered to hang my jeans on her indoor drying line, as they were SOAKED! I changed and let her do that for me, and then I went out for a drive. There was a spectacular sunset that evening, even though it was still drizzly on land. Unfortunately, because of the rain, the rope bridge which is only 5 or 7 miles down the coast from the Causeway wasn't open :( That was the only thing I wanted to do that I couldn't.

The next day (Wednesday) I drove down from the North, back to the Republic and a stopover at my other Irish Family. I was in a major accident in Ireland 7 years ago (!) and have kept in touch with the Family who rescued me, the O'Tooles (Yes! Really!) They're very dear to me, and I stayed over night with them just for the purpose of saying hi. It's been 4 years since the last time I saw them, so it was way over due. Sometime during my drive, my mom reached my house in England. She was originally supposed to come in on Friday, but since she was flying standby, and the flight didn't look promising for Friday, she tried for Wednesday, and made it (just). That meant she had 2 days on her own at my house, but that's not such a bad thing. Two days to relax and get over jetlag.

Thursday, I drove back to Dublin, returned the car and flew home! It was really nice to walk in my front door and have my mom be there.

So, that's my Irish Adventure! And.... shockingly... not a single trauma, drama or mishap!

An Irish Week

2010-06-13T19:44:00.000-06:00

Right, so I'm finally getting around to posting some photos of my recent Irish foray.

One of my lovely fellow Scrapbookers is Irish. Jessie and I have been emailing back and forth for the past 4 or 5 years. For some reason, it never occurred to us for me to go there, though we had occasionally talked about her coming here, for a visit. Anyway, a couple weeks ago I just thought, what if I go there?!? I haven't been to Ireland in 4 years, so it was really rather due. I emailed her about a visit, and she said, "Could you come next weekend? It's a bank holiday, so I have an extra day off." So I jumped on the internet and found a flight.

Took off for Ireland on Thursday, early morning. I landed in Dublin, and collected my hire car. I drove North-ish with the vague goal of reaching Cavan, where Jessie lives, by the late afternoon the following day. This vague roaming is a tradition for me. I love driving along the beautiful country side and randomly stopping off at things which sound interesting. I never have a hotel reservation, either. And only once in more than 10 years of travels has that ever been a problem! I just turn up to a town and either stop off at a B&B that catches my eye on the road, or I stop off at the Tourist Office and have a look at their book of local places. On my drive out of Dublin, I saw a brown tourist sign, and, as it was nearing lunch time, I decided to stop off. Turns out, the place I stopped at, the Hill of Tara, was where the Irish High Kings were crowned. Now, the thing was, this title was NOT hereditary. You had to be chosen for it based on your merit. Nowadays it's just a lovely open field and hills, with big mounds and trenches at intervals.

The hill structures were used for cremation burials. The whole vista was gorgeous, and it was fun to get to wander around with little restriction from the powers that be. No one telling you were you can't go. No one telling you that you can't touch. It was just nice.

Once I drove away from the Hill, I entered a town called Navan, where I found a lovely B&B. The owner, a man named Patrick, who goes by Pat, (Yes! And there are MORE Patricks in this story!) set me up in the lovely sitting room of the B&B with a pot of tea and biscuits while I pursued the Lonely Planet Ireland Guide.

The next morning I went out to Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre to see the Newgrange and Knowth Burial Mounds. They're megalithic (mega = large, lithic = stone) burials from the neolithic (neo = new, lithic = stone) period, approximately 65000 BC - that's older than the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt! Anyway, these particular structures are impressively preserved. Knowth has been fully excavated, then reassembled. Newgrange has not been excavated. The facade has been restored, but the internal structure has not been touched, with the exception of a couple of braces because a few of the stone slabs have cracked. Sadly, they don't allow photos inside the Newgrange site, and the Knowth site is blocked by some tunnels built in medieval times (around 900 AD). The mounds were very interesting, though. And, if you get a chance, I'd completely advise a visit! The site at Knowth was aligned for spring/fall equinox. Newgrange for Winter Solstice. All visitors to Newgrange can put a request in to be a guest for the Winter Solstice. They randomly pull names for the event. But... just because your name gets pulled, doesn't mean you get to see it! The day has to be bright, as well!

Knowth

Newgrange

However. I'll let you in on a little secret. There's a 3rd fabulous set of burial mounds. And, they're free to enter. During the summer months, there is a guide up there, but they don't do anything except tell you the history of the place, and point out cool carvings. Oh... and hand you a flashlight. They're actually brilliant. They're very helpful, and even take photos for you! It's such a beautiful location - the highest point in County Meade. And, the sun illuminates on Spring/Autumn Equinox. Now, at Newgrange, the sun illuminates for 17 minutes. At Loughcrew (that 'gh' is like the Scottish 'ch' - it's a hard 'k' sound. "Loch" in Scots Gaelic. Means the same thing. "Lake") the sun illuminates for an entire hour! And, there are 4 carvings of suns which the beam picks out on its path. It's truly a spectacular site, and virtually unknown.

Loghcrew (The drive up. It's a fun tiny road!)

The inside of Loghcrew

The view back out (L) and the tiny entrance (R)

The "Witches Thrown." (L) It's actually one of the border stones that's fallen down. But, there are a lot of local legends about witches in the area, and this stone was thought to be her seat of power. One of the other mounds (R), seen from the top of the complete one. The complete one has had it's roof put back on, but that's the only reconstruction it's had.

I actually ended up spending so much time at the site that I was nearly 2 hours late getting to Jessie's house! I rang her, when I realised what time it was, and apologised, but she was totally sweet about it, and told me to take my time. I finally arrived and met her and her DH and two sons. They're absolutely brilliant! Jessie's a total doll (which I already knew) and her husband (The other Patrick. Goes by Paddy! Yes, really!) just kept me laughing the whole evening. The boys are also wonderful. Really enjoyed meeting them.

Saturday, Paddy and the boys went down to his mother's for her birthday party weekend. So, Jessie and I were on our own for Saturday/Sunday. We didn't kill our selves getting up early and out the door, just took things easy, checked our emails, had a good breakfast . . . and eventually made out way out the door. We drove up to Northern Ireland (still part of the UK), which is pretty close to where Jessie lives. We went to a lovely National Trust site to walk through their gardens.

After our stroll through the gardens, we drove up the road a couple of minutes (honestly, only a couple of miles) to the Marble Arch Caves. That was pretty spectacular! I was so impressed. It's a limestone cave with a river running through it. They take you down, and you go on a flat bottomed boat for a few minutes. Pretty awesome. We really enjoyed the boat ride. Then, you walk through the cave system looking at curtain stalactites, rim flows, stalactites, stalagmites, columns..... pretty awesome.

After our hour and a quarter cave tour, we did a couple of walks. One was a ring walk, circling through some very empty (of humans) landscape. You literally could not hear anything man made. That was pretty amazing. We particularly liked the bluebells and hawthorn flowers, and the hazel trees they're trying to reestablish. Ireland has had hazel trees since the ice age, but they've been cut down for farm land, or grazed on by cows/sheep. So they're trying to reestablish them in some groves. My sister's no longer speaking to me, because of all the blue bells. That's one of the things she has wanted to see for ages!

After our delightful ring walk, we stopped off at another walking area. Really lovely! We totally loved the whole walk, but the best bit was this most amazing waterfall! At the end of the walk we stumbled across the "Marble Arch" for which the caves were named. That was a pleasant surprise! And even better that we hadn't walked down all the stairs from the cave, then hiked back up them, only to discover the arch later, along the flat!

Ok. It's late. You'll have to wait til tomorrow (at the earliest!) to get the rest of the adventure.

A Proper Update! (Sort Of)

2010-06-11T18:16:00.000-06:00

Oooooh boy! It's been AGES, I know. I'm rubbish. I'm sorry! But, my life has seriously taken a turn for the insane. And, you know me.... that's saying something. Between flitting between countries (4! In 3 weeks!!!) and volcanic ash and visitors and flying standby.... it's been crazy. But. I'm home. For a while. Although, my mom's arrived now, and we'll be in and out a bit, so... stay tuned for further disruptions.

However, I just got back from Ireland. Yes, Ireland. So, that means that I've been to the US, Spain and Ireland (Northern and Republic) in the past 3 weeks. And, obviously, home to England. It's been an absolutely non-stop few weeks. But, I really kind of needed the faster paced life for a while. Too much time inside my own head for a while. Not a good thing. I had a fabulous time in Ireland with Jessie in Cavin and with the O'Toole's (Yes, that really is their name!) in Galway. And my own wanderings through hill and dale (and neolithic burial mound and geological sites, too!) I'm working on getting the photos (from both the Ireland and the Spain trips, actually) all uploaded and sorted into an online album. As soon as I do, I'll post a link here, and those who want to see the evidence of my insanity may do so.

Ok, that's as much of an update as you're getting for the time being. I've just got so much to get done right now! Running behind schedule. As usual.

Tadeo Jones

2010-06-07T13:54:00.000-06:00

So, my wonderful new friend, Adam (he's the 10 year old son of a friend) introduced me to this fantastic adventure video. Enjoy!

Epic Win!

2010-05-24T08:11:00.000-06:00

Ok, I'll do a proper update on my blog soon. (Like... later today or maybe tomorrow.) But, I just thought this was TOO impressive not to share straight away:

These crazy people are Shepherds from Yorkshire. I used to live up there, in a town called Sheffield. I even went to a Sheep Dog Trials once. Really interesting! Seriously, though..... what they can get those animals (the dogs AND the sheep!) to do is amazing. That whistling you hear? That's the commands for the dogs. Yes. Different whistles are different commands, and the dogs respond to them. Brilliant.

The Story So Far......

2010-05-06T19:24:00.000-06:00

We find our hero (ok, heroine) succumbing to the sweet oblivion of sleep..... here's a flashback to find out what had lead up to this collapse.....

Getting on the plane was an adventure.... my ticket said I was in Seat 1J. I had to reread that to make sure I got it right. Yep. 1st row, seat J. Window. No one sat next to me. Sweet. Here's the photo of my little nest:

So, once I got seated and settled, the attendants came around with your choice of orange juice, champaign or .... something else .... samosas? Is that a drink? Of course, I went with the oj:

And, the first thing I did? Took off my shoes. They were so far away in the corner of the bulk head, I literally couldn't reach them from my seat. And, I couldn't touch the bulkhead with my feet all the way extended. Umm... nice? No. FABULOUS!

Then, once you got settled and had your drink, you had to choose your menu for breakfast. Now, I thought we had to choose which starter, main and dessert (yes, dessert with BREAKFAST!) Nope. Only which main. You got all of the rest of it.

Then, once we got airborn, they started bringing round the food. No cart for us, though. Individually brought out, placed on a linen table cloth..... yeah. That was nice. And more silverware than you could shake a stick at! Seriously! Spoon, 2 forks and 3 knives! And they brought MORE for the dessert!

(Dessert at breakfast: GENIUS!)

I slept through the middle of the flight, which was brilliant. The seats weren't the really amazing new ones that really do go totally flat, but.... they went flat enough! I slept for 4 hours, or so, which was just amazing. I'm normally lucky to get 1 hour sleep on a plane. I didn't even break out the movies! I read my book, did some work (as in Work, not PhD) and had another nap (45 minutes, or so).... then they were bringing round the pre-landing 'snack'

That chicken sandwich was brilliant. So yummy.

And, by the time that was all eaten and cleared away, it was time to get ready to land. For the first time EVER, I wasn't just DYING to get off the plane. Sure, I was looking forward to landing, but more because I was anxious to get the rest of the way to Utah, than because I was desperate to get off the plane. *sigh* What a wonderful way to fly.

So, got through customs (no problems there), got my bags, re-checked them, and got back through security. I arrived to Terminal E, and my next flight was scheduled to leave from A, which is the opposite end of the airport, so took the little train to get there. Arrived...... and saw a HUGE list of standby passengers.... 17. And I was? #17. Called Lois to let her know I'd arrived in Atlanta. She filled me in on V (my friend, Veronica, who arranged for my standby ticket. She goes by V) not getting to come They managed to get 15 of the passengers on the flight. That left me, and this other guy, Toa (he's Samoan) trying to get to Salt Lake. So we headed off to the next flight option.... back at Terminal E! Got in touch with Lois again (she called my UK mobile and left a message. I called her back from a pay phone.... much cheaper!) and found out the scoop on the next flight... I thought it was HILARIOUS that she knew I'd not got on the flight before I did! V - you're a fabulous travel agent! Tried to get ahold of V, but couldn't. Called Mary Lou, too.... also ignored my call to let her know I was in the area and say hi. Not that I expected her to drop everything and drive 3 hours to the airport, just wanted to say hi, since I was near by. Chatted with Toa for the 2 hours between the first and second Salt Lake flights.... and the whole time he's getting updates from his cousin, who works in the Atlanta airport, on the status of the flight. We were convinced there was NO WAY we'd get on, either of us. V thought the same. It was completely booked, and everyone had checked in.... and there were 4 or 5 standby people ahead of us. So we figured we would have to catch the NEXT flight, at 9.30, getting in at 11.50 Fortunately, miraculously, even (for us!), a WHOLE BUNCH of people didn't make the flight. So, we made it on! And not only that, but there was even a spare seat between me and the guy in my row. I was in coach, not 1st, but I didn't care a bit. As far as I was concerned, this was the best view ever:

Sometime during the flight they brought round a 'snack'. Just for comparison's sake, I took a photo:

Uh huh. Whatever. Still didn't even care. It was a 4 hour flight (or so... can't remember if it was 4.5 or 4.... but it was long) to Salt Lake, and I was pretty sore by this point. I was REALLY feeling grateful for the 1st Class flight from London, because I'd have been in REALLY sad shape by that point without it. So... again, V, THANK YOU.

Arrived to Salt Lake around 9.00 pm. My luggage had caught the earlier flight, so it was already here, waiting for me. Went to Lois/Steve's house and had a quick change of clothes (and shoes) and went off dancing. Came home around 12.30, and slept. Was actually tired enough that I didn't sleep brilliantly, so was up around 7, though climbed in bed with Lois and watched cartoons (Chip & Dale) for a while, and had a short nap. Got up officially around 8.

I'm still jetlagging a bit, even having had a 2 hour nap earlier, but... it's just good to be home.

Lost In Transit

2010-05-03T19:17:00.002-06:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate packing? If it weren't for the expense involved in replacing everything, I'd just leave it all behind. *sigh* Sadly, can't do that. So.... I'm packing.

Disappearing off for a bit. Got to run to the States. Back on the 13th.

Things A Little Crazy

2010-04-30T04:49:00.000-06:00

Phew.... last week was a killer. It's taken me all of this week to catch up! And, honestly, I'm still realing.

I've got some major things going on in my life at the moment. Not going to discuss them here or now. But, as they come about, I'll keep you posted. Just, know that's why I'm being quite silent.

Sheffield News!

2010-04-24T15:30:00.002-06:00

Remember my friends M and J?

THEY HAD THEIR BABY TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, I'm not excited at all! :D Ok... maybe a little!

They had a little boy.

Sheffield!

2010-04-14T16:45:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, I lived in Sheffield for a couple of years. That was a very tumultuous point in my life. There were some things going on that I never want to go through again! But, one thing that came out of that time, even as a direct result of those really tough times, was a deep friendship with M and J. These people stepped in, weeks after their wedding, to be my family during a time when I needed family desperately. I spent more time round their house than I did at my own during some weeks. And, it was always at their invitation. These people are wonderful. I only lived 15 minutes down the road from them, but very often when I'd go round for dinner, one or the other of them would say, "You staying the night?" I and I'd say, "No, I'll head on home after dinner." And they'd reply with, "You staying the night?" It got to the point where I actually kept a spare toothbrush and pajamas at their house! J even went so far as to read my entire Master's Dissertation, much of which was written from their sofa. I can never repay their generosity and love. But some day I hope to be able to make someone else feel as loved as they made (make!) me feel.

Anyway, the point of this ramble is that J is expecting their first child in about a week and a half from now, so I thought, right, I'm going to go up and see them before the baby comes so that I don't cause more stress. And I'll go back up in the summer to meet Peanut (they don't know if they're having a boy or a girl, so they call him/her Peanut) after things have calmed.

So, I spent Easter Monday - Wednesday playing with M & J. And it was lovely! I hate that I now live a 4 hour drive away. That's just far enough that you really have to stay over night, which means it's a pretty big undertaking to visit. Of course, it's a heck of a lot closer than when they move to Australia (J's Australian.) or I move to the States!

I had a fabulous visit to M&J's house. And even got to spend some time with another friend, H, and her 3 kids. Especially E!!! She's the best cuddler ever. Thanks for the warm welcome! I can't believe it's been 4 years since I left. It still feels like home in so many ways. I miss you!

London, Hoorah!

2010-03-24T18:38:00.001-06:00

Since Lois' flight left this morning, and she needed to be at Heathrow for half 7 in the morning, we decided to go spend the night. Booked into the Comfort Inn at Heathrow. Not a hotel we'd recommend, we discovered, but that wasn't the point! The point was to play in London in the afternoon and not kill ourselves getting her to the airport in the morning.

Anyway . . . we got around the M25, and checked into the hotel. It was mid-afternoon, so we weren't entirely sure we really wanted to spend the money to go into London. But, I decided that it was worth it to spend the afternoon playing, instead of just sitting in the hotel. After all, if we were just going to sit and "do nothing" we could have stayed at my house til evening, and been more comfortable. So, we went in! I'd been really wanting to go to the Barbican to see the little zebra finch sound scape "art" instillation. Yeah . . . that was fun! I particularly wanted to go with Lois, since she's one of the few people who will appreciate it in the same way as me. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed, but here's the youtube video promoting it:

Oh boy was that fun! If you're in/around London, we'd totally recommend going. It's only on til the middle/end of May, though! So, you'd better hurry.

After we left the Barbican, we were trying to figure out how to walk from there to the Museum of London. They're very close to each other, but it's a bit tricky to get from one to the other in the most direct line. We figured out that, you actually have to go up to the "Highwalk" area! This is a network of raised sidewalk sort of things connecting a bunch of the City of London (as opposed to "Greater London") buildings together, above traffic level. The whole area is a network of quiet nooks, private gardens and waterscapes. A total hidden gem in the heart of London.

The museum was fun, and a total recommendation for anyone traveling through London. I've been before, but it's quite large, so it's worth more than one visit. Especially since come May, it's going to be opening a new exhibit. They've been working on it for 3 years, so it's probably going to be quite something! (Besides, it's FREE!)

After the museum, we went to Victoria Station for a "traditional" dinner. When we lived in London together, we lived near Victoria Station, and we'd go to this restaurant, Garfunkles, there. There's nothing special about the restaurant itself, but, we enjoyed remembering living in London together. That was a magical summer :-)

By the time we got back to the hotel, Lois had a headache. So, we just chilled for a couple hours, watching "Mock the Week", "QI" and "Would I Lie to You?" - 3 BBC productions that are all very funny. Mock the Week is a comic show about current events. Would I Lie to You is a bluffing game where celebrities read off pre-prepared cards, and the other team (also celebs) have to decide if it's true or false. Kind of like the game "2 Truths and a Lie", if you've ever played that. QI, though, is my favourite! It stands for "Quite Interesting" and it's a quiz show hosted by Stephen Fry. Yeah. You can imagine from there. It's really funny, and (surprise!) quite interesting.

Took Lois to the airport this morning. Very sad to see her go, but it was so wonderful to have her here. I'm really grateful that Grandma sent her over for the week. It was the perfect present.

I'd specifically asked at the front desk about check-out time (told 11.00 am) because, if possible, I wanted to avoid the whole driving in Rush Hour thing. Not exactly fun. Left the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, and took Lois off to the airport. Got back to the hotel and discovered that my bag (which I'd left in the room) was not there, and the room was being cleaned! Ummm..... what's going on?!? The front desk had the room listed as being empty! And that I'd checked out. Ummm.... no. So, I made them find my bag (had my laptop in it!!!) and let me back into the room, since I'd not checked out! Anyway, not impressed. Like I said before, not a hotel I'd recommend.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-03-22T17:37:00.000-06:00

I just have to say.... I've LOVED having my sister here this week. It was seriously the best possible birthday surprise I could have gotten. I'd even said, when asked what I wanted for my birthday, that the only thing I wanted was her, here! I didn't think it was possible then. I'm so impressed with her powers of manipulation. Grandma thought up the idea and payed for it. Very kind of her. And Lois did all the leg work to make it happen, including Facebook stalking my friends! And, the whole week before she came she'd been giving little hints..... "So, Adele, Can I take you to Nando's for your birthdy?" (Nando's being one of my favourite places to eat. Peri-Peri chicken... um!) Then saying she'd call me on my mobile, and we'd eat "together". Ha ha... or, she'd just finished cleaning up the house (turns out it was in preperation for leaving that evening) and I jokingly say, "Great, you can come do mine next!" She says, "I'll do it tomorrow!" Ha ha ha ha... She thinks she's funny. She made all sorts of comments like that!

Anyway, here's to 31!

Acting Like Animals

2010-03-19T15:34:00.000-06:00

So, with Lois visiting, I wanted to do something kind of fun. I had thought of going down to Clacton and enjoying the coast. Or, doing something else locally, but outdoors, since it was a sunny morning. Had checked out Visit SouthEast England to get some ideas, and one of them was "Amazon World", which is a Zoo on the Isle of Wight. So, I thought, Colchester has a Zoo! We can go there! Colchester's Zoo is great!! So . . . after we had some lunch, Lois and I ran up to the Zoo. The weather went a little sad on us, with a bit of rain before we headed out. Fortunately, we didn't have any problems with the rain while we were out. It was chilly, though. But, the cool weather, Friday mid-day and March all kept the crowds down. So we didn't have to fight to see any of the animals. And, they were doing a lot, because it was cool! Way fun. We had excellent timing, too. Without even trying :D We just turned up and it was the right time! Our two favourite activities:

Feeding the Elephant!

Feeding the Giraffes!

I Have The Best Sister Ever . . . But She's TOTALLY FIRED!!!

2010-03-16T16:29:00.000-06:00

Oh. My. Goodness.

Oh. My. Goodness!!!!!

Oh. My. Goodness!!!!!!!!!!!

So, my friend asked me to come round to help her make her daughter's dress.

THERE WAS NO DRESS!

I got there, and my friend was off "dropping her son off at rugby." Uhhh huh. Well, she was, but that's not the whole story. She pulls into the drive and comes into the house and asks me to roll out the pizza dough, before we got started on the dress. Yep. Sure. Not a problem. I did that, and then she took me into the dining room and said, "Here's the dress!!!" Ummm..... there was no dress. Her daughter was standing there, with a camera. I'm looking at her daughter thinking....... something is clearly up. What's the punchline? What am I missing. And then, my gaze shifted, two inches to the left.

TO MY SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The punk! she'd arranged to fly to England for my BIRTHDAY next week!!!! Rotten thing!!!! I jumped and screamed and couldn't speak, hugged my friend, who said .... "You shouldn't be hugging me, you should be hugging HER!" Hugged my sister, and burst into tears. Lois said, "See? I TOLD you she'd cry!!!!"

She's here for a whole WEEK! Yeay!!!!!!

The Video:

Underground Blues

2010-03-15T18:46:00.000-06:00

I had a traumatic weekend: Lost my car keys, house keys, mobile phone and ipod (it's only a nano). Thought I'd been pick pocketted, because they were all in the same pocket. Was obviously distressed to discover them missing (especially the keys!) at 1.00 in the morning! I was on my way home from London and started looking for my car keys (car was parked on the street, near the station - free parking on the weekends, but residents only Mon-Fri.) No car keys. No house keys!!! The phone and ipod were secondary. Anyway, walked home from the station, and had to wake my poor (lovely!) neighbour to get my spare key (SOOOOO sorry, D, if you're reading this! And, THANK YOU for letting me in!) at 1.30 in the morning. Thought, well . . . maybe I should ring the phone, on the off chance that they hadn't been stolen, but lost. So, I dialled my mobile, and *shock* someone answered! The manager for Charlotte St Blues (http://www.charlottestblues.com - go, if you're in London!) had found them - house keys, car keys, phone and ipod (but, no ipod headphones, for some reason) - and he would put them in the safe for me to collect! Yeay!!! Of course, I still didn't have car keys, but at least I knew where they WERE!

Not having keys was a bit challenging for Sunday. Not only did I have to go to Chelmsford (30 minute drive) for church, but also, my car was in a weekend-only parking area! So, my lovely neighbour came to my rescue AGAIN and helped me get back to my car and try my 'sudo' spare key. Turns out, it will open the doors, and release the wheel lock, but it doesn't have an immobiliser chip (anti-theft device), so it won't turn the engine over. Drat. Ok, so came home and called the AA (Automotive Association). They sent a recovery vehicle, and the man was SO nice and helpful. Seriously made a stressful situation much easier. He came to my house, gave me a lift BACK to my car, then hooked my car up to the tow-bar, and I steered whilst he towed me home. Then, he parked the car in my drive! And, he made total sure that I'd be ok, that if I needed to replace the keys I had a way to do that, or to get the keys back . . . really great. I totally recommend them as a company!

So, still had the problem of getting to church. Fortunately, Chelmsford Ward shares a chapel, and they're on the afternoon schedule at the moment. I've never been so grateful for 2.00 church in my life! Had a think, who do I know who'd be driving from Colchester to Chelmsford . . . umm . . . no one. Ok. What about Ipswich? (Colchester's about 1/2 way between the two cities) Ah! 2 of the Stake YW Presidency are in Ipswich (they're sisters. Like, blood related. ) They're friends. I can ring them! And, G and H came to my rescue! I called them my Damsels in Shining Armour! They also get a total thumbs up from me.

Right, so what does this all have to do with Underground and Blues? Well, I had to go back to London today to collect my keys. And in the Underground there was a fantastic busker. He was playing this crazy instrament (no idea what it is) and the music he was playing! Oooh! WHERE were my bluse friends when I needed them?!? Cruel and unusual punishmenet to have me find such a fantastic bit of Blues Culture and NO ONE TO SHARE IT WITH! Asked if I could take his photo, and he said, "Please do!" He totally made my day! :D

Personal Panic Button

2010-03-04T15:04:00.002-07:00

Feeling stressed? Have a whack at this:

Letter from Santiago East Mission Pesident's Wife

2010-03-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

Here's another amazingly spiritual experience to do with the Chilean Earthquake. This one is from the Santiago East Mission President's wife. Again, it's been passed through the mission network.

Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 23:48:27 -0700
From: *****@ourldsfamily.com
To: *****@msn.com
Subject: Santiago East Mission President's message

"Dear Everyone,

"I am writing to let you all know how very grateful we are for your
prayers, concern, and love. Please keep praying! We need the Lord's help
and guidance in order to do all He would have us do to learn what He
would have us learn from this earth quake tragedy, and to minister in
the way He would have us minister. During the past few days, we have
witnessed many events which serve to remind us that the Lord is in
charge and that as missionaries and members of His church, The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are performing His work, and as
President Monson teaches, "When we are on the Lord's errand, we are
entitled to His help." I want to share with you a few miracles that will
help you to understand our profound feelings of gratitude.

"When we were set apart for this calling, Elder Scott of the counsel of
the twelve apostles taught us many important lessons. He spoke from
personal experience when he was a Mission President in Argentina. One
message that he shared with us is this: "At times, during your mission,
you will be awakened in the middle of the night or the early morning
hours with thoughts of specific things you should do for certain
missionaries. Do not ignore these thoughts. They are promptings from the
Holy Ghost who will communicate with you in the stillness of the night
or the peace of the early morning hours. He will speak to you then
because that is when you are still enough to hear." Elder Scott further
instructed us to keep a notebook beside our bed so that we could record
these precious promptings. He said that by the next morning, we would be
likely to forget the promptings if we didn't write them down.

"We have been astonished at the fulfillment of Elder Scott's prophetic
words. We have received many promptings in the exact manner that Elder
Scott described. We are so thankful that Elder Scott taught us how to
recognize and act upon these precious promptings. Had he not taught us,
we may not have given these promptings the attention they require.

"Nearly two and one half weeks ago, I was awakened at around 4:00 AM by
just such a prompting. I did not hear a voice, but the thought was as
clear as if it had been in the form of spoken words: "There is going to
be an earthquake. Prepare your missionaries." I sat up in bed and
immediately remembered Elder Scott's counsel. That morning I told Larry
what had happened. He immediately set to work organizing our
missionaries to prepare for an earthquake.

"In talking with our office missionaries to arrange for them to put
together a list of everything we would need to prepare...in both Spanish
and English...we discovered that the Lord had also let two of our office
missionaries know of the possibility of an earthquake (in the form of
dreams) and the need to prepare our mission. We set a goal and arranged
our schedule so that we could visit every apartment in the mission to
check for safety and to review with our missionaries what to do in case
of an earth quake. What a wonderful experience we have had as we have
met with them and shared scriptures with them about being spiritually
and physically prepared. "...if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" (D&C
38:30). We instructed every missionary to have a "go-bag" (36 hour kit).
We reviewed our emergency action plan with them of where to go and what
to do if they had phone service and in case they did not. We gave
everyone a paper with all instructions in English and Spanish, and we
reminded them that "this life is the time to prepare to meet God" (Alma
34:32-34). We shared with them our thoughts and feelings about the need
for spiritual and physical safety. Some of them became frightened and
asked us if we knew something they didn't know. We smiled and repeated
"...if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." We didn't want to unduly
alarm them, but we did want to impress upon them the need to be
prepared. We tearfully reminded them of our recent transfer conference
where we had shared our feelings about our dear Elder McKay Burrows who
was unexpectedly called home in January while serving his mission in
Romania...how he was prepared in every way to meet God. We reissued our
challenge to "be prepared" in every way. Then we knelt with them in
their apartment and dedicated each apartment, asking for a blessing of
safety and security to be upon every apartment.

"When the earthquake came, we were prepared. We did not experience the
panic that many felt. We knew we were prepared. Because of the words of
the Lord's chosen Apostle, Elder Scott, we had listened and heeded the
quiet, but clear promptings of the Holy Ghost. We were blessed with
peace in the midst of chaos. We learned an important lesson: our
preparation helped us to avoid panic and fear, but the Lord, in His
wisdom, allowed us to experience enough discomfort to know that He has
all power. He is in charge. We are nothing without Him. We are dependent
upon Him for every breath we take. Only He can save us from death and
destruction. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is our perfect
example. If we follow Him, we will be saved through obedience to the
laws and ordinances of His Gospel.
As the earthquake became more violent, the mission home groaned and
wailed. The power died, so the whole city was black. The windows made a
hideous screeching sound, and flying objects banged against swaying
walls. The printer/fax machine, books, book ends, and fifty-pound
television burst from the entertainment center and crashed to the floor,
cabinets emptied, drawers flew open, the refrigerator moved, water
sloshed out of the toilets, the floor jolted up and down as we ran
across it trying to hold onto the walls to keep from falling down, and
the piano toppled over like a small toy. As we made our way to the back
yard, I remember thinking, "God is all-powerful. He is our only refuge
from this horrible mess." I prayed and prayed for Him to still the
earth. When we reached the back yard, we watched in terror. By the light
of the moon we could see the swimming pool water form giant waves and
crash out onto the rocks. House and car alarms screamed into the
night...some from being crushed by falling debris and others I guess
from the bizarre movement of the earth. I am not sure if the intense
rumbling sounds came from the earth itself or from everything else that
was shaking so violently. Finally, it stopped. When the calm came, we
had to sit down because our legs were weak and unstable. My legs stayed
wobbly all day and night yesterday. Today the muscles in my legs hurt
like I ran a marathon. The aftershocks have been extremely unsettling.
Each one begins like the one last night started. We just close our eyes
and wait to see if it escalates or dies down. I have never experienced
anything like this!

We were awakened this morning by a very strong after shock. Larry jumped
out of bed and yelled, "Welcome to another glorious day in Chile!" We
just had to laugh. We moved a mattress into the floor in our bedroom and
made Landon sleep in our room. He was in his room with the door locked
the night before and we couldn't wake him up. He never locks his door,
but he was playing a joke on Larry because every morning Larry wakes him
at 5:30 AM for seminary by tickling him unmercifully. So Landon had
decided to stop him. When we couldn't open his door, in the middle of
the quake, we thought he was trapped, so we screamed and banged. Landon
thought that everything was falling off the walls because we were
banging so hard on the door. I think we scared him more than the
earthquake did!

Today, we attended a strong ward where Larry was invited to speak. The
entire chapel and beyond was filled. People were so humble and so
teachable. Larry taught the importance of doing the small things. He
taught about Jesus Christ and the opportunity we have to love one
another and to share what we have with others. It was a great blessing
for us to be with these beautiful Chilean people. Some have lost their
homes...or at least parts of their homes. But they are strong and they
want to serve the Lord. He taught of the scripture in Luke 21:11,13
which says, "and great earthquakes shall be in divers places...and it
shall turn to you for a testimony." He also welcomed the sweet young
woman who was in the congregation with the missionaries...her first time
attending church...and then he invited her to be baptized from the
pulpit. He asked her to please invite us to her baptism, and she said,
"I will." The Lord always knows what His people need. Landon was reading
in Alma 15:17 today. He said, Mom listen to this. This is what is
happening here in Chile just like in happened in Ammonihah. The people
were humbled and "checked as to the pride of their hearts and began to
humble themselves before God, watching and praying continually that they
might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction."

Our hearts are filled to the brim with gratitude for all of the
blessings we have received in the Chile Santiago East Mission. We see
miracles every day. In the midst of great pain and suffering, we can
always find our Savior. He stands with His arms open, pleading for all
of us to humble ourselves and come unto Him. He loves us. He invites us
to accept His gift...the atonement. He invites us to repent. He wants us
to love one another and to serve one another. He wants us to bring our
families and those we love to Him. We can do it. We can do all that He
asks, no matter how difficult it may seem. "With God all things are
possible"

OK, sorry this is so long. I will end now. We are having a devotional
tomorrow for all of our missionaries to talk about the last week of
Christ's life in preparation for Easter. We want to remind our
missionaries to teach and preach with increased vigor and animo of
Christ. Last Monday in our office meeting, Larry suddenly stopped in the
middle, and said, "During the prayer, I had a very strong impression
that March 2010 is going to be our best baptizing month we have ever had
in this mission." Now we know why he received that feeling. We are going
to prepare to bring many souls to the waters of baptism in March. Please
continue to pray for us and for the people of Chile. Please pray for the
missionaries to have strength and courage to do all that is being
required of them, even in difficult times.

We are so thankful that the tsunami did not turn out badly in Hawaii.
Who would ever think that an earthquake in Chile could threaten the
shores of Hawaii? Thankfully, the Lord is in charge. He is the one to
whom we must turn for refuge from every storm. He has the power to save us.

Con mucho amor,

President Larry and Sister Lisa Laycock

Quake Update From Santiago Temple Matron

2010-02-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

I've received the following email through various networks. It's very encouraging news, but obviously I'm still anxious about people in the neghbourhoods I served in.

Dear Chile Santiago West Missionaries:

The news of the past 24 hours has been shocking to all of us with the 8.8 magnitude earthquake. After many phone calls, tweets, and facebooking I have been able to finally communicate with people throughout the mission as I'm sure some of you have also. Please keep the Chilean People in your thoughts and prayers. We know that our Heavenly Father loves them. As you find out of any specific needs please notify us via the website www.ChileSantiagoWestMission.com and let us know how we can help. Arriba Juntos!

I thought you all might enjoy reading a note one of our missionaries received from the Chile Santiago Temple Matron:

Hi Everyone,

We heard from our Santiago Temple President, Ted
& Cheryl Lyon, written by his wife, Cheryl:

Thanks to all of you who have emailed your concern for us. We can state
unequivocally that we're fine. We can also state with the same emphasis that
riding through that quake in our rocking fourth-floor apartment was for me
the scariest experience I've ever been through!
I was sure we were about to die - that either the ceiling would fall on us
or that we'd collapse through the floor. It truly was an emotion I'd never
experienced before. My whole body shook for the next two hours, and after
that I couldn't stop crying.

We didn't even have the presence of mind to get out of bed during the quake.
I felt paralyzed, staring at the ceiling and wondering when the earth would
stop rolling. It was the longest two minutes of our lives! We could hear
things falling out of cupboards, and pictures falling off the walls. But the
sound and the movement was the worst.

Our sturdy building held up fine. Just lots of dust and a few broken dishes.
But elsewhere, as I'm sure you've seen on the news, people didn't fare as
well. Lots of damage. Virtually no stores open. Most parts of Santiago still
have no electricity. Collapsed overpasses have closed major highways. The
airport is closed because of damage, and planes have been rerouted to
northern Chile or to Argentina. Our new missionary doctor was to arrive this
morning, so I don't know where he and his wife have ended up.
What a joy to walk into the temple and find it in perfect condition. We
just had to close a few drawers and straighten a few crooked pictures. It
felt so good to be there in that peaceful refuge and find normality. Moroni
did lose his trumpet, however! That was the only noticeable damage.

How grateful we are for how well the Church takes care of us. We've often
thought the 24-hour emergency lights in our building were excessive, but we
were surely thankful for them at 3:30 this morning as everyone was
evacuating the building - including the missionaries downstairs in the MTC.
It was so disconcerting to get out of bed in the dark and stumble over
fallen items in the bathroom. We got just a taste of what the Haitians have
suffered, though their damage and deaths have been so much more devastating,
even though their quake a weaker one. So far here they're reporting 123
deaths, but we assume the toll will climb.

We had to decide what to do about the temple. We had every session booked
for the day, and wondered if people would arrive. We met with one of Ted's
counselors - who had arrived at 5:00 for the early shift, as faithful as
ever - and our registrar. We knew it would be difficult for the employees
and workers to get to the temple and there was not electricity at the time.
One faithful laundry sister came a great distance to help, but there was no
gas for the dryers, so she had baptismal clothes from last night lying out
all over the laundry.

The temple has an emergency generator which roars into action the second the
power goes out. But we learned that it runs on petroleum which lasts only
four hours. By 8 a.m. we knew we were about to go dark again, so we made the
decision to simply close the temple for the day.

Then, just in the second that the lights began to dim, the power came back
on! (We've learned since that we're the only section of Santiago that has
power yet.) So then we decided to hold just one session, since we had three
out-of-town couples staying in the hospedaje who were expecting to receive
their endowments and be sealed today. We mustered all the missionary
couples, along with a group of faithful sisters who work the late shift on
Fridays and then stay over for the Sat morning shift. We had a most moving
morning. The quake had brought such a sense of unity to workers and patrons,
and the Spirit was amazing. I've seldom had such a moving experience at the
veil - with three consecutive young sisters who were receiving their
endowments.

Right now we're sleep-deprived, and Ted has already gone back to bed. The
stress has left us exhausted - but we're alive and well! We're still feeling
aftershocks - called "replicas" in Spanish. They're reported about 25 of
them. One just rolled by as I was writing this.

So, that's the report. After some rest we may venture out and about to see
what we can see.

Thanks for your love and concern.
Ted and Cheryl
President of the Santiago Temple

Visit Chile Santiago West Mission at: http://chilesantiagowestmission.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Chilean Earthquake

2010-02-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I was a Missionary in Chile for 18 months. I lived in and around Santiago (the capital). So you can imagin how my heart jumped into my throat when I heard about the disasterous 8.8 magnatude earthquake which hit Concepcion early this morning. And, there were many many many secondary quakes. The last count that I heard was 70! I've got some very dear friends down there, people who are as dear to me as family, and I'm terribly worried about them. Fortunately, they're mostly in Santiago, not Concepcion, which was the worst hit. But, that doesn't mean they're out of danger!

Here's a link to the MSNBC's photo slides of the state of Chile today, and the Hawaian preparations for the Tsunami. Seeing these photos was almost harder for me than imagining, because they just say 'Central Santiago' and 'Outskirts of Santiago'. Things like that. I'm despearate to know what parts of the city it is!

So, if you're reading this, please spare a thought and prayer for the Chilean people, and all those in the path of the Tsunami.

Olympic Glory

2010-02-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying all the Olyimpc Sports! Have to say, though, the Men's Snowboarding Half-Pipe was amazingly exciting! I started boarding in February, '94, back when girls didn't board! So, I've always had a soft spot for the sport. But, seriously?!? That Shaun White is insane! So amazingly good. And, it was great to see him and his teammate win Medals! But, if I were to pick an event to compete in, I'd choose the Snowboarding Cross. I've always loved the technical and crazy speed side of boarding, rather than the tricks. A few tricks are great, and I LOVE watching them, but I'm not all that bothered about doing them myself.

So... what would you choose to compete in?

No No... I'm Still Alive

2010-02-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hello!!! I'm sure you thought I'd fallen off the face of the planet... It's not actually true. However, I've been snowed under. Only, unlike some of you, not with actual snow. I've just been insanely busy!!! However, I've now got my QMUL marks submitted, I've been to York for the Coloquium, and attended Claire and Russ' wedding, just to name a few. In other words... it's now time to catch up with the PhD.

Epic Win!

2010-02-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

I've decided, when I grow up (ha ha) and am rich and famous, I'm totally having THIS in my house!

Can you imagine? I'll be the coolest aunt in the world! My future nieces/nephiews will LOVE coming to visit me! And, if I get to have kids, they'll be the envy of all their friends. Heck, I'll be the envy of all my friends!

It Made My Day!

2010-01-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

So, totally geeking out here. I've been using Ubuntu, which is a Linix OS, for about 3 months now. And yesterday I got to prove to myself, yet again, that it totally rocks. I needed to strip the audio track off some DVDs that I'm transcribing. Now, I totally did not know how to do that at the beginning of the day. But I have friends in high places! In this case, J, who works at Google. Yeah. Google. Score! Actually, I started off talking to his wife, Coi, who is no slouch in the tech department. She got me going, but we ran into a problem, so J came on to sort it out proper. So, J walked me through the process of stripping the audio file, and it worked! And I managed to then go back and do the whole thing on my own 7 more times! Yeay! That's not the bit that made my day, though. After walking me through the process, J changed his GChat status to 'omg. surrounded by hot linux hacker grrls!' IMMD!

Jetlagging

2010-01-12T12:15:00.002-07:00

I really really really like walking through my front door at the end of a trip. Especially if I can fall straight into bed. That's what I did yesterday afternoon. It was bliss! I had dinner with some friends, here at my house, then went BACK to bed for the rest of the night around . . . 7? 8? Something like that. And it was torture to get up this morning at 10! Pathetic, I know. But I had to get up so I could take the rental car back. I worked out it was cheaper (and so much faster, not to mention less painful!) to rent a car and drive home, rather than taking the train. So, no more dragging bags through the Underground for me! But, it did force me out of my cosy nest to deal with the return this morning. Never mind. I'm currently sitting on my sofa, talking to my Sister on the phone (as if I hadn't just spent the past 10 days at her house!) trying to get up the energy to open the suitcases.

On The Road, Again

2010-01-09T21:34:00.002-07:00

So, I'm off back home. I fly from Salt Lake to Huston, then on to London (Heathrow) from there. Now, there should be no problem for getting to Huston, but England (all of England) is under a blanket of snow. So is Utah, but Utah knows how to handle it. England freaked! The whole country has been shut down. I don't know if they'll have the runways sufficiently cleared for us to land! Once landed, I'm also not sure the trains will be running, so I can get home! Watch this space.....

Sieging the Castle!

2010-01-02T22:13:00.005-07:00

Remember that Gingerbread Castle I made at my parent's house over Christmas? Well, I'm sure you're wondering what happened to it.

On Wednesday, 30 December 2009, my parents and I went back to the Hospital to collect the Castle. Then, Dad and I came home and set it up in the yard, and laid siege to it with the 2 foot catapult. So fun. Now, this thing isn't the most accurate engine in the world, so it took a while to get dialled in. Once we did, though, we got pretty good at hitting it. It helped when we switched ammunition, too. We'd been using wooden blocks, but then we found a lovely block of ice, exactly the right shape and size. Flew much better.

So, here are the photos of the projectile demolition.After a while, though, it got so dark, we were having a hard time finding our ammunition. So, we switched to firecrackers. Since I was due to fly out the next day, we decided it wasn't so prudent for me to touch the explosives, so I just stood off to the side and took photos. *sigh* So many restrictions, any more! Never mind. It was still fun to explode :D

Here're the photos from the explosions!

New Years RAK

2010-01-01T20:20:00.001-07:00

For anyone who's interested, there's an RAK going on over on my ScrapBlog.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T17:40:00.004-07:00

Now, I don't now about the rest of you, but I'm not ready for 2010. I need about 6 extra months in my year! Never mind, I'll make due.

Hope you all had a lovely New Year's Eve. I went out dancing. It was fantastic :)

Gingerbread Castle

2009-12-26T20:52:00.005-07:00

We made an enormous Gingerbread Castle this year. I really enjoy making Gingerbread anything, and since I was in Montana . . . and my Dad and Brother-in-Law had built the 2 foot tall catapult in July, I thought . . . Well, it really needs a castle to siege, doesn't it?!? So, the Castle had to be big enough to be fun to destroy. We made it 25x25" wide/long and 23" tall. Told you it was enormous! Here's the finished product (I'm holding the tiny catapult for the photo.)
We finished the castle on the 23rd, so Christmas Eve, we took it down to the Hospital to brighten the patients' holiday. Our original idea was to take it round the Childrens' Ward, but they'd manage to get all but 1 kid (who was about 1 year old, so too young to enjoy it) home for the holidays. So, we took it to Oncology (Cancer) instead. They LOVED it. We'll pick it up next week before I leave (going to Lois' for New Years) and catapult it :D

If you'd like to read the whole story, along with tips and tricks for making your own gingerbread creation, visit my ScrapBlog. If you'd like to download the plans for the castle, they can be found here. You can either leave them as is, or scale them down. The Full Plan has all the pieces, but in small size. They are in scale to themselves, though, so if you want to make a tiny version, you can. If you do make one, please leave me a note? Either here or on the Scrapblog. And a link to a photo would be awesome!

Happy Christmas

2009-12-25T00:21:00.003-07:00

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Christmas, and all the best of luck in the New Year.

Dashing Throught the Snow!

2009-12-24T09:55:00.011-07:00

Dashing through the snow,
In a 2 horse open sleigh.
Or the fields we go, laughing all the way. (Ha! Ha! Ha!)
Bells on bobtails ring,
Making spirits bright.
What fun it is to ride and sing this sleighing song to night!

Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!
Jingle All the Way!
Oh, What Fun It Is to Ride
In a 2 Horse Open Sleigh, Hey!
Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!
Jingle All the Way!
Oh, What Fun It Is to Ride
In a 2 Horse Open Sleigh!

A day or two ago,
My mother booked a ride.
And so we set right out,
My parents by my side.
With friends we rode along,
Across the fields of snow.
Hiding in a groves of trees we saw a little doe!

Santa's Been Delayed

2009-12-23T09:31:00.004-07:00

Got sent this photo from my Dad. I was actually sitting in the room when he opened it, and he laughed so hard he couldn't breathe. It's great.

What I wondered, though, is . . . what do you tell your kids? Are they going to end up with nightmares about Santa crashing into an airplane? Will they worry that they won't get their pressies because he's a red smear across the nose of a plane? And . . . what about the reindeer? And, wouldn't smashing into Santa bring the plane down?!? At the very least, it'd put you on the naughty list for the rest of your life!

Driving Home For Christmas

2009-12-17T16:21:00.001-07:00

One might well ask, 'How is it possible to drive from England to the Untied States? There's that pesky little bit of water in between.'

The answer, of course, would be, 'Start in Canada.'

Yes. Canada. Why Canada? Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Rather than going to Georgia or Texas and then up, I went from London to Calgary, Alberta. I was supposed to connect to Denver and then to Billings (yes, I know. It's ridiculous.) However, we were an hour late leaving Heathrow, and then we had to circle the airport for half an hour before we could land. I'd nearly missed my connection before I even left the plane! I got through Canadian customs very fast (I ran to be at the front of the queue) but then got stuck waiting for 30 minutes for them to decide to deplane our luggage. Finally got that, walked over to the connecting area, and they said, 'Your plane is gone. You'll have to rebook.' Nice. That was the last plane Stateside for the rest of the day. After quite a long discussion with the airline personnel, we came to the conclusion that they couldn't actually get me to the US for 48 hours. Uh huh. 2 days. Ummm... it's only an 8 hour drive!!!! So, we decided (the reservation woman and I) that it would make most sense for me to cancel the rest of my flight, and drive to Billings. So, I canceled my remaining flight (and got a refund). [color=red]NOTE! DO NOT DO THAT UNTIL AFTER YOU'VE DEFINITELY FOR SURE GOT ALTERNATE BOOKED!!!![/color] Then I went over to the car rental desks and tried (note the word TRIED) to get a car. Umm, turns out you can't rent a car in Canada and return it to the US. Or, you can but it's very difficult and quite expensive. So, there I am, in a foreign country, no way out, jetlagging major time. I didn't actually burst into tears, but it was an effort. I called my folks (again) and just as I was starting to tell my mom the full situation, the manager of National Car Rental comes up and said, 'You'll never believe this. We've just had a US car returned, and we need to get it back across the border. I can give it to you for 1/2 the price of a domestic, turn up on the day rental. That's $150 plus tax.' (Canadian dollars.) Umm... YES! I'll take that! :D So, I drove out of Calgary last night.

Stayed the night in a tiny little . . . I hesitate to say town . . . just north of the Canadian/US border. It was that small. It was a hotel over a bar. The room had a bed, a light, and a sink. That was it. (Everything was very clean, just very spartan.) Smelled faintly of smoke. Didn't care. It was 10.45 pm local (6.45 am London!) and I was tired. Very tired. I was asleep before 11. But, by 5.00 in the morning, the random plink-plink noises the radiator was making got to be too much for me. I got up and hit the road.

And then, the border crossing. For the second time this year I've managed to confuse a US Customs Officer on the US/Canadian border. Last time it was because my answer to 'Purpose for visiting Canada' was 'To get a haircut.' This time it was 'Driving from England to the US.' Ok, so what I actually said was 'In transit from England to the US.' But, I got an equally blank look. (The answer to the previous question - How long were you in Canada? - was, 'Over night.') So, then I had to explain why I was now driving, instead of flying to Montana. Eventually he gave up trying to understand and just sent me on my way. It was funny.

Finally, I got to Billings a little before noon today. Yeay!! I'm home!! We immediately drove up to the airport to return the car, then stopped off at WalMart for necessary supplies (DIET COKE!!!!), and now we're back.

I'm tired!!!!!

Thank You, Vandals!

2009-12-14T05:05:00.002-07:00

Today is my last day of teaching for the term. Every Monday I've been heading into London to teach my Language in the USA class at Queen Mary University of London. And I turned up at the train station this morning to catch my train in, only to discover that vandals had stolen the signal box (or something to that effect) up in Wittham, so trains into London were cancelled. All of them. For the whole day. In other words, I ain't gettin into London today! Which, of course, means my class is cancelled. So, I rang the office and told them that I needed someone to put a note on the door and email the students to try and let everyone know. Exciting way to end the term!

A Little TOO Much Excitement!

2009-12-12T17:20:00.004-07:00

This last Monday I came home a bit early from London, intending to get to bed before midnight. Normally on a Monday night I don't get in til gone midnight, so getting home at quarter past 11 was quite good. Unfortunately, the gods were against me. I live on the corner of a street (more or less, it's kind of complicated, because the actual street I'm on is a close, and it's really more of an extended drive than a street. I'm ignoring that for the moment, so you'll have to just sort of go with it). The street my house is on (for the purposes of this essay) comes to a T-Junction, just a couple doors down from me. So, I'm driving up the cross-road (the top of the T) on my way to my road from the Station. At the T, I turn right, onto my road. Up ahead, opposite and a couple houses down from my house, I see an orange glow. And then some sparks. And the top of a flame. And then . . . it blossoms. An enormous housefire. I quickly parked the car and ran up the road to see if anyone had called it in. Someone had, and in fact, the fire brigade was just arriving. We ended up with 6 trucks out there, and they stayed til after 11.00 the next morning. And then came back at 2.00 in the afternoon!

The Fire Photos:

Due to the location (next to an Electrical Relay Station and a Gas Mains) we were unsure if we were going to be evacuated or not, so it seemed a bit pointless to go off to bed if they were just going to come knocking at our door to send us off somewhere! And anyway, who'd want to miss the excitement?

I ended up meeting all these neighbours I didn't know. I only knew the 5 families on my close, and the people I share a back fence with, so there were a lot of unknown neighbours there. Was really quite nice to meet all these lovely people. In fact, I've been bumping into them all week at the Co-Op and the Local (Pub). One of them, Jean, said to me, 'I don't see you for 2 years, and all the sudden, you're around every corner!'

So, it was well after 2 in the morning when I finally got off to bed. Fortunately I didn't have to be up crazy early on Tuesday. However, what I didn't know was there'd been a power cut. Daylight, though, not such a big deal. Except. Except. Except that it's Winter! And winter means Cold! And no electricity means no HEAT! We eventually did get electric back. It wasn't til sometime in the late afternoon, though!

I went round to the house and the owners let me take a bunch of photos. I'd met them the night before. What was tragic about the fire (apart from the fire part, of course!) was that it was the original house to the area. Fortunately the owners had not been living in the house. But, it was sad to see such a piece of Colchester history destroyed. The land has had a house on it since the end of the 13th Century (1200s), and this house since the middle of the 14th Century, with additional bits being added on in the middle of the 17th Century. This whole area was once owned by the author Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe), and his daughter lived in this house.

Here's what it looked like in the cold (wet) light of day:

T Minus 10

2009-12-06T12:32:00.002-07:00

I'm heading to my folks' house in 10 days!! But who's counting? Oh...right, me. And my mom. Possibly my dad, too. It's been a really rough term, and every day's been a bit 'just get through today'. Well, this next week looks like it's going to continue in much the same way. I'm going to be working like a mad woman all week just to keep my head above water. As many of you know, I'm a big holiday decoration fan. I always have up my Christmas Tree (usually sometime in November!) and garlands over the windows and down the banister. A wreath on the door. Yummy smellies throughout the house. Not this year. I didn't even dig out the wreath for the door. Yep, that's how pushed for time I've been.

And speaking of time . . . I'm out. Gotta get back to work.

The 6 Month Curse

2009-11-30T09:49:00.003-07:00

I moved to this Ward (church congregation) in September 2006. I got called as the Young Single Adult Sunday School Teacher. 6 months later, I got called as the Primary Song Co-Ordinator (but not released from Sunday School). 6 months after that, released from both Primary and Sunday School, called as Ward Missionary. 6 months after that, released as Ward Missionary, called as 1st Counsellor in the Young Womens. 2 weeks later additional calling as Ward Music Co-Ordinator (Seriously, what's up with the music callings?!? I'm not particularly musically talented, though I enjoy it.) 6 months later (well, ok, 8 months), released from Young Womens (but not Music). Moved to USA for 6 months. Called there to be Humanitarian Co-Chair. Released from that. Moved back to England. Released from Music. Called to be 2nd Counselor in Relief Society Presidency. (Which also means I've now served in every axillary of the church that I'm eligible for, within this one ward!)

It's now nearly 6 months later.
I'm thinking, I'm the 2n Counselor in the RS.
They don't change those positions very often.
I'm safe.

Tuesday, 23rd November.
My phone rings.
'Sister Beck?'
'Yes?'
'This is the Stake Executive Secretary.'
(Stake is Regional Church Organisation. 8-12 Wards make up a Stake.)
*Gulp*
'Yes?'
'The Stake President would like to see you. Tonight. Can you come in?'
*Gulp* 'Yes, sure.' *Gulp*
'Great, 8.00 alright? Sorry about the late notice.'
Who are you kidding?!? THANK you for the late notice. Now I only have one day to sit around wondering why the Stake President wants to see me.

8.00 rolls around. I'm up at the Church, waiting outside the classroom that President is dong interviews in. He's running a few minutes behind. Everyone and their dog is at the chapel. 'Hi Adele. What are you doing here? In to see the Bishop?' 'No, Stake President.' 'Oh, Temple Recommend?' 'Mmmm.....' I leave it trailing off. I'm not really sure how to answer that question. (We're not really supposed to say anything about new callings til the official word is given, in Sacrament meeting on a Sunday.) I finally get to escape into the interview. (Who knew going into an interview would ever be an escape?!?)

'Sister Beck, we'd like to extend to you the call of Stake Relief Society Secretary.'
Umm.... Come again? It must have been interference from my racing heart, but I could have sworn you said Stake Relief Society Secretary. Oh. You did. I see. Umm.... You do know I'm dyslexic, right? You don't care? Oh. Ok. Umm.... Righty then. 'Ok.'

So, now I'm the Stake Relief Society Secretary. Seriously. When I called my family, they laughed at me. Thanks for the support! I'm looking forward to it, but have NO IDEA what a Secretary is supposed to do. Guess I'll be finding out, won't I? Someone up there is having a laugh, that's all I can say.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T09:59:00.005-07:00

I truly love Thanksgiving. Partly it's the food. Who wouldn't enjoy a holiday where the main component is eating?!? Other holidays include food (4th of July Picnics, Easter Dinner, Christmas Dinner . . . ) but Thanksgiving is food. However, as much fun as eating all that luscious bounty is, I love more than just that. I actually enjoy the whole week. You start the preparations ages before hand.

Here in England I get to cheat a bit. Since there's no competition for the food at the supermarket, I can do my shop on the Wednesday, which means everything's nice and fresh. (I always try and get a fresh turkey from the Butcher, rather than a frozen one, so I don't have to worry about defrosting. But even on a year when I get it frozen, that's still the only thing I get ahead of time. (*Edit* This year's was horrible! There were simply no juices to use to baste. Not impressed. It wasn't dry, but it wasn't up to my usual standards, either.) In any case, the preparations start at least the day before.

Making the Desserts. This year I went with apple pie and brownies with this yummy (and very easy) moose. It's been ages since I made pie, though, so I was a bit worried about the crust. Had a bit of left overs, which I made into a quiche for dinner. Wow. I needn't have worried. Flaky, buttery and soft. :-)

Oh the lovely smells! One of the best bits about Thanksgiving is all the delightful smells. Many times I enjoy that part more than actually eating anything. Oh so yummy. And none of the drawbacks to actually eating it!

Family. I've been known to be terribly homesick for the whole week of Thanksgiving. It's one of the days that I most wish I were with them. Probably mostly because I know they're all together laughing and having fun without me! I've never liked being out of the loop. Fortunately, we've come up with a few creative solutions. The best bit is Clever Endeavour. That's a board game we've had since I was a teenager. Clues are read out and you have to figure out what the object is. You get more points for getting it sooner, but if you guess wrong, you lose points. Points move you forward (or backwards!) along the board. But the game is really all audible, not visible or activity based. So, I can guess, too! So, we always play that or Double Talk (similar idea, but based on Puns). It's great fun, and one of my favourite traditions.

Friends. Since I can't be with my family, I choose to be with my friends. I invite people I love to come share my Thanksgiving Dinner. I choose different people every year (although there have been a few overlaps!) so that as many people as possible get to find out what Thanksgiving means. This year I had 6 guests, only 2 of whom were Americans.

That's what I love about Thanksgiving (apart from eating the food, which obviously is part of the list). So wonderful. A day dedicated to feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Love it!

Essay Marking Blues

2009-11-22T12:45:00.002-07:00

I collected the midterm essays on Monday. If that isn't depressing enough to make someone sing the blues, I don't know what is! I've finally realised the reason I got such good marks as an undergraduate. It had nothing to do with how well I understood the material, and everything to do with the grasp of punctuation usage! The prof was so pleased that s/he could follow the sentence from one end to another that s/he didn't actually care about the content. And I'm not even talking about complicated things like semi-colons and hyphens. I'm talking mastery of the full stop! Don't get me started on comma usage. *shudder* Would you believe that in this set I've actually had a submission which ends nearly every paragraph with . . . ? Yeah! No lie. Talk about a Dot, Dot, Don't.

I'm reminded of these comics from PhD Comics:

Fortunately, there was a remedy for my soul's anguish this week. Saturday was Down Home Blues night over in London. It's my favourite dance night in the month, and not just because I'm a Blues Junkie. It's awfully nice of them to put the venue across the street (literally) from the train station I arrive at! It's awfully nice not to have to travel the hour into London, and then an hour across London! Terribly decent of them to cater to my needs thus.

Peeeeeeeeka-Boo!

2009-11-17T18:59:00.002-07:00

Found this video on Cute Overload. It's an African Ringneck (probably Blue Mutation) talking to his new 'friend', the stuffed bunny. It's really funny, especially if you like birds, which my family does.

So You Think You Can Jump?

2009-11-14T08:57:00.004-07:00

Thanks to KellieBean for this link....

You've never seen jump rope like this. Seriously. Amazing.

Crazy Busy , Yet Nothing To Report

2009-11-13T12:25:00.004-07:00

How is it possible that I can be quite so insanely busy, yet have nothing interesting going on? I've fallen into a routine of PhDing, Christmas Present Creating, Church Duties, Teaching and Dancing. This week I didn't do either the Teaching or the Dancing, because Queen Marys is on Reading Week, and the Dance Class was canceled (room unavailable). If you're interested in the Christmas Present Creating, head on over to the ScrapBlog. For the Church Duties, I'm now responsible for running the Relief Society (our Women's Organisation) Blog, plus I'm frantically getting ready for the monthly activity next Wednesday. It's Christmas Crafts, so I've been running around making sure everyone who's doing a class is sorted, plus getting my supplies for the class I'm teaching all ready. PhDing is same as always. Working away. Every day. Pretty boring to watch. I appear to just be staring at a sheet of paper. Every so often I'll switch to a different sheet of paper. And if you're really lucky, I'll start typing! *phew* Such excitement. *Fanning face after such exertion*

So, that's my week!

Remember

2009-11-08T14:07:00.003-07:00

I'm not sure what it is about November that sparks the British Memory. You've got 'Remember Remember the 5th of November', and then, the next week you've got Remembrance Sunday, followed, of course, by Armistice Day on the 11th of November (the end of WWI was officially declared and the peace treaty signed in the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). In any case, today's Remembrance Sunday, roughly equivalent to the American Memorial Day.

During the end of October and up through the 11th of November, Britain is awash with poppies. The 'Poppy Appeal' raises money for the families of service men/women who've died in the line of duty. It was lovely to see so many poppies at church today.

So, to you who serve: Thank you. You put your lives on the line. You protect us. You put everyone in your country over your own needs. That's an incredible act of love. I pray for your continued safety every day.

To you who send your husbands/wives and sons/daughters off: Thank you. You parents have taught your children selflessness. Something that's in an increasingly short supply. You spouses give these men/women the support they need at home to be able to do these dangerous jobs. You're equally deserving of our gratitude. You are also in my prayers.

To you who've lost friends and loved ones: Thank you. I grieve for your loss, but I celebrate the cause. They have not sacrificed for nothing.

As most of you know, I'm a religious person. I very firmly believe that those who have offered the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf are taken into God's arms.

"Greater love hat no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" John 15:13.

Guy Fawkes Night

2009-11-05T11:36:00.005-07:00

You gotta love the Brits! They don't have our 4th of July excuse to blow things up, so they came up with their own. It's called 'Guy Fawkes Night', or Bonfire Night. It celebrates the day that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled back in 1605. Guy Fawkes was supposed to have been the lead Catholic conspirator to blow up the Protestant Parliament and King (James I). So, every year on the 5th of November, they have bonfires and burn a Guy in effigy. Yep. Really. Oh, and they set off a load of fireworks, too.

So . . .

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent

To blow up the King and Parli'ment.

Three-score barrels of powder below

To prove old England's overthrow;

By God's providence he was catch'd (or by God's mercy*)

With a dark lantern and burning match.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring. (Holla*)

Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

And what should we do with him? Burn him!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T18:27:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone's having much more fun this holiday today than I. Nothing exciting planned. England doesn't really 'do' Halloween. I don't even have a costume. :'( Too much else going on in my life to try and plan a Halloween party. Anyway, enjoy! Hope you have a fabulous, slightly spooky day.

Baking Day

2009-10-28T18:36:00.004-06:00

One of my very dearest friends in the entire world came to visit me this weekend! Jill lives up North, near Sheffield, where I used to live. We were in the same Ward (church congregation), which is how we met. She had to come down to London for a lecture (to do with her MA). Now, the trains are funny in this country. They stop running at very odd times. In this case, trains stop running from London to Sheffield around 7.00pm. That's a bit early, if you ask me, but they didn't. However, it meant that Jill couldn't get home on the Friday night, because the lecture didn't get out til after 8. Because I live just on the inside of the London commuter zone, trains run to Colchester til nearly 1.00am! So, she came to stay with me. Yeay! Friday evening we just sat and chatted. We don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, but we've got one of those easy friendships that you can pick up again at any point, and it's like you've never been apart. Saturday, when we got up, it was raining. Rainy days, to me, are Baking Days. Cakes and cookies turn out much better when the air's humid. So, we dug out all sorts of ingredients and made: brownies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and baked bean/cheddar grilled sandwiches (for lunch). I know, the sandwiches sound odd. But they're really amazing! It's something she and I concocted together several years ago one day when I was round her house. They're really yummy, and perfect for a rainy day! It was awesome to see Jill. I really hated to drop her off at the station to go home in the afternoon. I miss hanging out with her every week.

My Scrap Life

2009-10-26T11:20:00.002-06:00

I've got a new Blog. Don't worry, I'm not discontinuing this one. I'm just branching out. I also figured I'd try out a new Blog Writer, so it's over on Wordpress. We'll see how I like it.... Figured, it's good to learn new skills. It's a ScrapBlog, though. It's dedicated to my Scrapbooking Habit. If you want to see what I do with my photos after I take them, that's the place to visit!

Mud Puddle Mayhem

2009-10-24T13:15:00.004-06:00

Just got sent this video. Not mine (though I'd loved to have seen in in person!), but I had to share it with everyone! It's so cute :) And proves that the allure of mud puddles spans the species gap. (Elk Calf)

Finally Getting Better

2009-10-24T04:17:00.004-06:00

I've been fighting this horrible sinus infection since June. I'll start to get better, then come back down with it. It's been so frustrating! Well, this week I went (back) to the doctor (again), and she's now got me on an even stronger antibiotic, and in addition she's given me a steroid nasal spray. I'm not a huge fan of taking medicine . . . as in, I'd rather use peroxide to kill off the buggies, because they won't develop immunity to that! However, there comes a point when you've just got to get well. 24 hours after starting the new regime, I felt worlds better. I hadn't realised how poorly I'd felt! And I'm still not at 100%! Rather shocked me how far away from 'well' I'd been. But, I'm finally on the road to recovery, I think, touch wood. Let's just hope I can stay healthy for a while.

Gravity's Pull

2009-10-18T09:47:00.002-06:00

Contrary to everything you've ever been taught in physics class, gravity's strongest pull does not actually emanate from the object with greatest mass. Going down in elevation does not increase the pull of gravity on your body. Gravity actually pulls towards your mattress. And it's very difficult to escape its gravity field! It keeps pulling me back down.

When Ooops Doesn't Cover It

2009-10-15T16:32:00.006-06:00

I think my Grandmother's least favourite word in the English Language was 'Ooops'. I remember as a teenager helping to redo her kitchen, and my Dad told my cousin to say 'oops,' so he did. And Grandma (in the other room) says, 'What?!?' It's one of those moments I'll never forget.

Anyway, I had an 'Ooops' moment today. Except, I'm not sure that 'oooops' quite covers it. I'd made some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and had put the cookie sheet into the sink to soak. I plugged the drain, and turned on the water, and made my mistake: left the room. I was sitting down working on my computer when all the sudden I realised I'd been hearing the sound of water, falling water, and loads of it. I jumped up and ran into the kitchen to turn off the water and assess the damage. Fortunately it was really just a bunch of water on the floor, and it cleaned up in a hurry. But it was an impressive mess!

Back In The Saddle Again

2009-10-11T17:31:00.002-06:00

My year doesn't start in January. It starts in September. Kind of funny, I guess, but it's true. The calendar year's never made much of a difference, and I guess since I'm 30 and my whole life has revolved around the academic year since I was 5, that's not much of a surprise. But, yet again, the year has started. I'm back teaching at Queen Mary University of London, and I'm back in the PhD game at Essex, too. Yep, the fun never stops.

Leading Cause of Napping

2009-10-09T19:56:00.004-06:00

Haaaaa! It's so true! That's the reason the PhD Offices all have the comfy chairs; for 'reading articles'. Uh huh. Right.

You Know It's A Terry Pratchett Book When . . .

2009-10-07T07:36:00.004-06:00

As many of you are aware, I'm a huge Terry Pratchett . . . excuse me, Sir Terry Pratchett . . . fan. There are several Hallmarks of a Pratchett book. I just started reading the latest Diskworld, Unseen Academicals, and thought:

You know you're reading a Terry Pratchett book when

It takes 4 paragraphs to finish the first sentence.
There's a footnote in the footnote (and occasionally a footnote in the footnote in the footnote!)

And that was just reading the first sentence in the book!

I've also got a few for the 'You know you're a Pratchett Fan when . . .' list:

You can pronounce Capitol Letters.
You swear in Nac Mac Feegle.
You have First Sight and Second Thoughts.
You can translate Orangutan.

If anyone has any additional items for either list, PLEASE add them in the comments!

Consider The Day Seized

Book Review!

Dinner Don'ts

Off and Flying!

Home Stretch

Shakespeare in the Park

Garden Woes

Chaos Reigns!

A Great Day Out

Apparently, I'm French, and....

Dressed for an English Summer

Belated 4th of July

Another English Adventure

One of My Favourite Things

I Love Denver In the Spring (or Ode to I-70)

MIA, I Know

Queen of the Kitchen

Happy Christmas

May you have the Happiest of Christmas' this year.

Much love, wherever you are, Adele.

Did I Mention?

Christmas Bloghop

The Little Things

Non-Dairy Treats

Lest You Think I've Gone Native

Thankful Thinkings

That's Travel in Winter!

Evaporation; Not Just for Liquids!

And the Winner Is.......

Another Book Giveaway!

Wow, Masters Students Rock

And the Winner Is.......

My Mom, the Author!

Oooh, Free Stuff!

Data Crash!

JetLagging

Waiting for My Taxi

90%

Remebering 9/11

T-Minus 5 Days!

Change Is in the Wind

My New Favourite Advert!

Fabulous Finds

The Cotswolds

Don't Miss Out!

Baby Blessings and Other Mischief

My New Favourite Place

Got Any Bullying Stories?

The Full Parade

An Irish Week (Pt 2)

An Irish Week

A Proper Update! (Sort Of)

Tadeo Jones

Epic Win!

The Story So Far......

Lost In Transit

Things A Little Crazy

Sheffield News!

Sheffield!

London, Hoorah!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Acting Like Animals

I Have The Best Sister Ever . . . But She's TOTALLY FIRED!!!

Underground Blues

Personal Panic Button

Letter from Santiago East Mission Pesident's Wife

Quake Update From Santiago Temple Matron

Chilean Earthquake

Olympic Glory

No No... I'm Still Alive

Epic Win!

It Made My Day!

Jetlagging

On The Road, Again

Sieging the Castle!

New Years RAK

Happy New Year!

Gingerbread Castle

Happy Christmas

Dashing Throught the Snow!

Much love, wherever you are,
Adele.