Monday, January 14, 2008
viva los tacos!
i guess my mom read my mind 3 weeks ago when she sent us our xmas presents which arrived today--we got all kinds of chili spices today! chipotle, ancho, guajillo--it magically goes on! we rushed out to the store and bought everything to make a fancy chili to celebrate. hurray for mum! er, bueno mama!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
mi mexico
the meeting with the recruiter went fine. i'm still learning job titles here--what they translate to in american speak. i've emailed a couple more people, so i'm hoping some jobs/interviews present themselves soon.
we went flat hunting in london yesterday. yikes. funny how amazing a place can look in photos online, and then turn out to be a total dump when you walk in the door. we saw one place that was 1/2 fantastic--big lounge, bright, lots of windows in the front, but then the back half was dark, smelled of cat pee, and was really cramped. so we're still looking. places here often come furnished, which is great for student living but horrible for us. landlords can be rather inflexible on options of removing everything. one guy we called suggested that, if we liked the flat and didn't want the furniture, we should rent out a storage space for his furniture. hmm, no.
i really miss mexican food, and had a big craving for tacos last week. i have a great recipe from cooks illustrated, but the chili powder concoctions here aren't quite the same. i'm used to finding chili powders that are solely made of chilis, and i didn't check the contents before dumping a couple tablespoons in the sauce. we soon smelled that british chili powders are mostly cumin, corriander, garlic salt, etc. i already added those ingredients. our taco (fake) meat tasted fine, but smelled like an indian curry. was odd. i need to find some plain chili powder.
we went flat hunting in london yesterday. yikes. funny how amazing a place can look in photos online, and then turn out to be a total dump when you walk in the door. we saw one place that was 1/2 fantastic--big lounge, bright, lots of windows in the front, but then the back half was dark, smelled of cat pee, and was really cramped. so we're still looking. places here often come furnished, which is great for student living but horrible for us. landlords can be rather inflexible on options of removing everything. one guy we called suggested that, if we liked the flat and didn't want the furniture, we should rent out a storage space for his furniture. hmm, no.
i really miss mexican food, and had a big craving for tacos last week. i have a great recipe from cooks illustrated, but the chili powder concoctions here aren't quite the same. i'm used to finding chili powders that are solely made of chilis, and i didn't check the contents before dumping a couple tablespoons in the sauce. we soon smelled that british chili powders are mostly cumin, corriander, garlic salt, etc. i already added those ingredients. our taco (fake) meat tasted fine, but smelled like an indian curry. was odd. i need to find some plain chili powder.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
tuesday
tomorrow i'm heading into london to meet with a recruiter. i'm hoping this leads to a job--or at least job interviews--within the next couple of weeks.
we're also looking for flats london, which isn't all that enjoyable. we sort of need to know what salaries we'll be earning to pick out a flat we can afford. i'm sure it'll all come together. just stressful thinking about it all.
the building-work in the current flat is still in full swing. we've been getting out--walking, jogging, etc. just to get away from the dust. so far it's been great--haven't had a snot-spell in days!
we're also looking for flats london, which isn't all that enjoyable. we sort of need to know what salaries we'll be earning to pick out a flat we can afford. i'm sure it'll all come together. just stressful thinking about it all.
the building-work in the current flat is still in full swing. we've been getting out--walking, jogging, etc. just to get away from the dust. so far it's been great--haven't had a snot-spell in days!
Friday, January 4, 2008
dust bowl
apparently, my body has developed a dust allergy. i'm hoping that's what has caused my current, never-ending snot spell.
the lounge here suffered some water damage through the spring and fall, and the landlord here has, 8 months later, finally sent people to fix the problem. i guess they realized no one currently living here would want to stay on for more rain soaking, so they're fixing the problem for the next tenants. how sweet.
anyway, the dust byproduct from the stripping of wallpaper and plaster has left my face itchy and my nose full of snot. the builders also started this work a day late, so instead of having the project finished before the weekend, it will surely carry into next week. joy.
the lounge here suffered some water damage through the spring and fall, and the landlord here has, 8 months later, finally sent people to fix the problem. i guess they realized no one currently living here would want to stay on for more rain soaking, so they're fixing the problem for the next tenants. how sweet.
anyway, the dust byproduct from the stripping of wallpaper and plaster has left my face itchy and my nose full of snot. the builders also started this work a day late, so instead of having the project finished before the weekend, it will surely carry into next week. joy.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
a gallery of miis
check us out!
poopy and radar are, oddly, the best players on the basebal team...
alan partridge "A Ha!":
poopy and radar are, oddly, the best players on the basebal team...
the husband, myself, and nephew poopy:
m*a*s*h 4077th (yes, that is chuck norris next to hawkeye):
strangers with candy:
alan partridge "A Ha!":
happy new year!
since we're on the high street, directly across from the guildhall and clock, we were accidentally in the exact right place in guildford to watch the countdown to the new year. there weren't that many people braving the cold, but it was fun to be right in the center.we aren't big fans of champagne, so we had fruli beer instead. i basically hate fruit beers, but this one is different--it's actually delicious! i have never been able to find it in the states, but here it's starting to spread and you can find it in a few pubs. it's much more a refreshing summer beer than something i crave in the winter, but it was great to find it in bottle form for the occasion.
we've also started running. er, trying to run, more jogging and walking than actual running, but we're trying to make ourselves stick with it. we want to run a 5K by the end of april, so i think having a goal might keep us motivated?
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