I am officially old

• First of all, I was forced to move to new blogger today. No like! No want! grumble mumble features grumble google! . You know one of these days I'm going to get my own domain and then my own server and keep my stuff there and not bother with these so-and-sos. I wonder if my GF would be my network sysadmin or if that would be a conflict of interest. Would she want her own, or would we share one?
  

• So I was listening to the Rent soundtrack this evening. It occurred to me: why didn't those boys get day jobs? They didn't have to sell out to Alexi Darling, but they could have been waiters, bike messengers, tattoo/piercing artists, typists, video editors for nonprofits (ok, maybe that's not paying work), barristas, strippers, janitors at strip joints, dishwashers, temps, etc. etc. etc. Lousy slackers!
  

• I don't think anyone 12-19 should be allowed on a bus (or at least not more than one at a time) but I don't think that's news. When did teenagers forget that they're supposed to spend their time lonely, anxious, worried and spotty? Eh? Eh? Who told them they could make all that noise?
  

Labels: getting old, jobs, musicals

- posted by k @ 2:54 PM

 
Double Gloucester: an unexpected friend
Right, so on a whim I bought a block of Double Gloucester, a type of cheese, to further my progress towards experiencing all that Britain has to offer. It is yellow. The taste was familiar--I would have compared it to cheddar except that I had a bit of cheddar in the fridge, too, and it was different. I would describe the gloucester as drier and nuttier than cheddar. I'm not sure where or how it's used by the natives, but it struck me as a perfect cheese for mac and cheese, which I think I will attempt on the weekend, or for accompanying onions somehow.

Still ahead (when I work up the courage and money): The elusive Wensleydale.
- posted by k @ 12:00 PM

 
Don't we feel better now?
Yesterday:

• Hair washed
• Nails clipped
• Clothes(&towel) washed, dried and put away
• Dishes washed
• Bed made
• Room vacuumed

Today

• Nice clean clothes
• Nice clean hair and nails
• Nice clean towel
• Nice clean floor (as long as you don't look too close)
• De-fragged: Nice clean harddrive

Ahhh.

Dammit, dropped noodle on clean pants. Bugger.
- posted by k @ 11:17 AM

 
Snow!

Fell silently sometime during the night. I was surprised to wake up to it. Melted by the end of the day; was already very melted by 10am (photos are from 8am). My Nigerian flatmate had never seen snow before. I am told this winter is milder than most around here.
- posted by k @ 7:47 AM

 
Well.
So, I was walking to an appointment. It was windy and cold and I was on a "just on time" timeline (as opposed to a timeline with a buffer). I saw something shiny. I picked it up. It was a crisp new 5-pound note. As in money! As in $10! I stood around uselessly for a few minutes looking around for either experimenters or someone who looked like they were looking for something they had dropped, or for a place to turn it in. Really, no such thing or person. I thought maybe I should put it back down in case the person who dropped it came back, or at least so then the person taking it on their conscience would be someone other than me, but it seems silly to put money on the ground on a windy day. So I put it in my pocket and went to my appointment. Then I spent it on fruit and veg (since today is Tuesday).

I am telling myself that if it were a larger amount I would have tried to turn it in somewhere and that someone is probably not going to die but rather just feel stupid for losing 5 pounds. I can't say I'm 100% comfortable with my decision, but I don't know what I'd have done differently next time. Maybe not stopped and gotten to my appointment sooner.
This is probably "god's" way of telling me to stop complaining about money already. D'oh.
- posted by k @ 9:22 AM

 
What do you want from me, blood?
The photo of the scene from "Bend it like Beckham" doesn't thrill you enough to comment? eh? I took more photos today, but now I don't know if I'll post them [insert faux pouting here].

Ok, here's one--it's just like that scene in "Love Actually" where the terribly adorable kid confesses to the terribly adorable Liam Neeson what's really been bothering him:



It's this scene when they show it from behind the bench:

- posted by k @ 3:22 PM

 
Facts and Speculation
Fact:
So after I tutored today, I got my £24 in cash and went off into the day. By the time I got home I had only £4-5 left; very sad. Lest you think me frivolous, spending was as follows:

• Topping up my transit card to make sure I could get home (£4)
• 5 library books (free)
• Stamps* (£5)
• Groceries (£8)
• Tea and pastry (was planning to take self out for a nice lunch, but this sufficed--£3)

Sad. Was planning to use it frivolously and go into Central London tomorrow. Will still go, but am not sure where and to do what. Will perhaps wander around St. Paul's and walk over Millenium Bridge to Southward--briefly saw the Globe and Tate Modern when I visited the Frost Fair at the end of the term in Dec. and would like to return.

*Oh, I'll tell you about the stamps later.

Speculation:

This morning I noticed a sore spot on my nose, about where I guess the bridge of my glasses might rest if I wore glasses (and they didn't have nosepads). Have I been leading a secret life as a mild-mannered superhero in my sleep? Then later today, I was in my bathroom because it has a sink where you can get water to drink. In fact I saw myself drinking in the mirror, and the upper rim of the mirror hit about the spot where my nose is sore, but I don't remember conking myself in the face with a mug recently. Did I do it in my sleep? Sometimes I do get up and have a drink of water at night, but I think I would remember if I "hurt" myself in the process. Hmmm.

- posted by k @ 1:09 PM

 
The ketchup problem revisited
1. Thought I might have solved the ketchup problem today with HP Sauce, but not quite. It's tangier and less sweet, but still lacks the note (perhaps umami?) that I'm looking for. Maybe I can find a good vegetarian worcestershire sauce here?

2. Finally got my pictures from my camera onto my computer (problem was camera tended to get bored and shut off before USB port realized there was something stuck into it. Not the brightest driver in the world. Anyway, no such problem when I just stuck the memory card straight into the computer; it could hang around and wait until it was noticed. Bless my laptop for having so many holes, even if it IS getting slow.) Took this pic at Heathrow just after landing and de-planing because IT'S JUST LIKE THE LAST SCENE IN BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM!!!! Except without celebrities and people kissing and saying goodbye.



Anyway, the terminal you see when you come BA is v. different from the one you see coming in on Virgin, except I don't remember anything until I got to baggage claim from that first trip. Oh, except I remember getting my passport stamped and being a little nervous about it, but it went just fine.

3. Apparently I am impressionism. Hmm. Maybe not the biggest surprise:

You Are Impressionism

You think the world is quite beautiful, especially if you look at it in new and interesting ways. You tend to focus on color and movement in art. For you, seeing the big picture is much more important than recording every little detail. You can find inspiration anywhere... especially from nature.

- posted by k @ 3:09 PM

 
Grocery list: bare necessities

• Milk,
  
• beans,
  
• toilet "roll."
• 
  
• Now I just have to remember if the store closes at 7 or 8. Heck, I'll just put my jeans back on and go now.

- posted by k @ 10:43 AM

 
Facts and Opinions
Fact: I can now access the internet from my room again. After spending 2 hours at the computer "centre" clinic, we managed to get the wireless *but not the land line* working.

Opinion: WTF? Also, who told them to go and change their system over the break so it wouldn't work with old drivers like mine? Actually overall the guys were very friendly and helpful, and I am very much glad to be back online esp. since it means I don't have to haul myself across campus in the middle of the night to get on pubmed.

Fact: I think I can go to the Dell website and download a new driver.

***
Fact: The customary way of cooking beans from a can here involves cooking them a little more than 1 min. of microwave. The more thorough cooking (which can be achieved via either stovetop ("hob") or microwave) makes all the beans soft (instead of just some of them) and causes the flavor to be...betterer.

Opinion: arguably betterer is an opinion. But anyway, I concur.
***

Opinion: I find myself growing increasingly dissatisfied with ketchup lately. Seems too sweet or something. Needs some umami or more vinegar or something. Often Tabasco helps (of course) but sometimes it's not appropriate.

Fact: Yesterday (or the day before?) for lunch I had "curry" flavor ramen with beans from a can, a sliced tomato, and some ketchup thrown in.

Opinion: Except for the ketchup being too sweet and not *something* enough, it was quite good and the beans were not gross at all.

***
Fact: If I leave now, I can meet my friend at the time I told him I would. Wait, that may no longer be true.
- posted by k @ 10:41 AM

 
Morning
Well, the good news is that I didn't become drowsy at 7am, like I did yesterday (11pm in CA; makes perfect sense). More good news is that sinuses are doing much better; not sure if this is due to Lemsip or merely time. Lemsip is pretty nasty. Even more good news is that last night I found the receipt to my sandwich maker so I'll take it back to Argos to see if they'll fix it or give me a working one.

Bad news is bloating and no idea when I'll crash today. Oh well.

Going to hustle down to the refectory for a 3-item breakfast. IIRC, $3.50 US and comes with coffee or tea. Not at all sure what effect it will have on awakeness or regularity, but when I woke at 2 I was quite in the mood for breakfast and had a cup of tea and a hobnob biscuit (like a cross between a graham cracker and oatmeal cookie). Mistake? Not sure. Tempted to have beans with breakfast, which will probably be a mistake, esp. given bloating already. Oh well.

Would be more convinved it was morning if sun would bother to show face; at least sky is lighter blue-grey than an hour ago. Fast-moving clouds are impressive, too.
- posted by k @ 12:11 AM

 
Yeah, I'm here now. Got to Heathrow 10am local time Tuesday, was in my own little room by noon. Not bad, eh? Jet lag due to time zone change is compounded by minor sinus bug and loss of entire night between Tuesday pm/Weds am. Have Lemsip.

I had an interesting factoid to share, but can't remember it.

Have class in 4 hrs. Not sure whether to try and sleep or not. Fell asleep around 11pm, which I thought was great, but apparently someone in the circadian department thought it was just a nap and woke us up around 2am (though I must admit, feeling rather refreshed) and craving a cup of tea. Which I had, caffeine be damned.
- posted by k @ 8:51 PM

 
All things counter, original, spare, strange
1. At Gaylord's now, again--my office away from office. I have to say, I think this is one of my favorite places ever. Even though I came here pretty regularly when I was job hunting, I don't feel like "one of the regulars" or that I belong to "their world," but I am glad to be a visitor here among the pierced and tattooed, the students, the now-locals whose accents belie their once-non-localness, the stay-at-home dads and moms who come in with tiny tots, the staff with their inscrutable dada in-jokes. This is the kind of place I imagined myself in long ago; it's good to actually be here. Time to crack open the planner and start the year.

2. On my way here this morning I took a wrong turn and was treated to a park full of Asian seniors mid-Tai Chi and then to a lovely drive along Lake Merritt reflecting the yellow sun and the Kaiser Building reflecting Lake Merritt. At first I was worried when I realized I wasn't going the way I had planned (where is the 580 west entrance off Park??), but then I found that I was following the #11 bus route and I knew where that came out by the lake, and I remembered that I didn't have to worry if it took a little longer because I had no deadline this morning and there wasn't a lot of traffic anyway, so I didn't panic and just drove smoothly and ended up enjoying the ride and having those great views. I think this is a clue and an omen.

3. Gerard Manley Hopkins: Pied Beauty

GLORY be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;	5
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:	10
Praise him.

- posted by k @ 9:21 AM