Woohoo! My improbable Survivor Pick ‘Em success continues. I successfully predicted that “Mother Africa” would get the boot and was rewarded a whopping 55 points. I’m now ranked 8th out of 22 in our group, and I’m at the 87th percentile overall in the game. Give it up for the girl who can’t even watch the show!
Author: Kris
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Cathleen lists the Top Ten Reasons to Live in London. Unfortunately I have no idea where “Bradley’s” is or what “The Dogs” and “Urban Farms” are. And I’ve been living here for two years! I’m the worst Londoner ever. My own personal list would probably be:
- Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues Bar (any night that the Voodoo Vendors are playing)
- Greasy full English breakfasts on hungover Sundays
- The Thames at night
- The Serpentine in Hyde Park (especially the bench on the east side that says: “To Rudolf Steiner, who loved this spot”)
- Wagamama gyozas, yaki soba, and Kirin beer
- The bookshops on Charing Cross Road
- The Tiroler Hutte in Bayswater
- Black cabs and double-decker buses
- Indian food
- Being able to see more movies, shows, and bands than just about anywhere else in the world
I’m realizing that my list has changed significantly since I was here a few years ago as a student. Back then it was about going out and doing something every night. Now it’s about snuggling up on the sofa with Snookums, takeout from the Indian place down the street, and the Buffy DVD. 🙂
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Once more with feeling
Brigita admits to some apprehension regarding the musical Buffy and goes on to reveal her issues with the entire “musical” form. I just left her a massive comment trying to defend the genre. I know there are others with strong feelings on the subject too. What do you think? Do you have problems with people “bursting into song”?
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Australia is big.
Good grief. Living in this tiny country has completely destroyed my sense of distance and proportion. I was just talking to the Snook about that Harry Potter thing I mentioned below and I asked him how far this place was from Sydney. I mean, look at the map. The amusement park is supposed to be 45 minutes south of Brisbane. That’s only, like, half a state away. But guess how long it takes to get there? Fourteen hours. Seriously. I mean, you can drive the entire length of Britain in that amount of time! I’m just having trouble grasping the fact that Australia is pretty much the same size as the U.S. (if you lop off Alaska, which is over half a million square miles). The problem is that it’s divided into so few states. Looking at a map with those lines shrinks it in my head. It’s so weird, you know? -
Further proof that Australia rocks: The Harry Potter Movie Magic Experience. If I can just talk to the Snook into taking me, I’ll have pictures for you all. 🙂
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Okay, remember when I was upset that Giles was my Buffy dream date? I take it all back. Between my new Season Three DVD and the promo for the musical episode, I am loving that librarian. I like it when he shows a little Ripper, especially in “Band Candy” when he goes all mockney.
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Happy Halloween
We had trick-or-treaters! Tiny British trick-or-treaters! I couldn’t believe it. We didn’t have them last year; they just appeared. Nick and Alex (the English guys) were supremely annoyed at the fact that London parents seem to be trying to imitate and kick-start this very American pasttime. I was just annoyed at the fact that they don’t know any of the “Trick-or-Treating Etiquette” that us Yanks know by heart. For example, in the U.S. kids know to only go to houses that are decorated and/or have their front porch lights on. Right? Well, since nobody decorates here parents were seriously just taking their kids around the neighborhood knocking on EVERY DOOR. Luckily when they hit us my sister happened to be working her way through the bag of Meijer bulk Halloween candy Mom sent us, so I was able to hand out a couple chocolate balls to each kid. But I can’t imagine that they found more than a couple houses willing and able to give them something. Also, the kids had TINY bags. Really, really small. Of course, since nobody was prepared for them, they didn’t really need big ones, but that’s beside the point. These kids need to learn the joys of carrying a pillowcase. And lastly, some idiot brought his kids to the door at, like, 9:30. By then all our candy was gone, and I’d thrown out my jack-o-lantern (since it was getting moldy anyway). So I had to tell the kids that I didn’t have anything for them. I just glared at the father. What kind of jerk drags them around to random houses that late? Seriously, I should go on TV and teach these Brits how it’s done. -
Wow. Even hardcore Windoze defenders should be shocked at the announcement that Amazon saved $17 million last quarter by switching to Linux. That’s the kind of cold hard cash/facts that need to be publicized more if Bill’s stranglehold on the world’s computers is to be challenged.
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OOTD
Michele comments on the strange phenomenon of webloggers who start every day by mentioning what they’re wearing. In the spirit of playing along, here’s me. (Please remember that it’s 9:30 a.m.)
I am sporting a rumpled maroon “They Might Be Giants” concert T-shirt that I grabbed off the floor and a tiger-print fringed sarong (it’s actually Snookums’s) around my waist. My hair is thrown back in a pony-tail to keep it out of my face. To finish off the ensemble, please picture me wearing my Coke-bottle-thick glasses and a dazed expression.
Heh. They’ll probably rescind my Blog Babe of the Week nomination now. 🙂
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A pre-emptive apology.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been adding and removing some links in my “weblogs” box down on the left. Please don’t get upset if I’ve removed you; that doesn’t mean I’m not going to visit. I’ve just been needing to tweak my daily blog reading routine. I’ve discovered that I’m not really into “journal” sites. That doesn’t mean I won’t ever stop by, but it’s just not my bag, baby. I also get frustrated when sites aren’t updated very often. I understand that not everybody is as obsessive about this activity as I am, and that’s cool. But I also have this addiction to new web content and I get tired of hitting you every day to see the same entries. And I have some new blogs that I’d like to try out, to spotlight a bit and encourage. I needed to clear some space for those so…Geez, why am I getting so defensive about this? It’s just removing some links. Do any of you other bloggers feel that way? I admit, it gives me an ego boost to see web-goddess linked on a site that I personally visit and admire. But I don’t think any of us should be basing our sense of self-worth on it. It’s hard though, because most blogs are personal and you put a lot of work into them. I just don’t want anybody to think that I’m dissing them or their work. Seriously, it’s not like that. But if you have me linked and you’re pissed off, go ahead and take w-g off. I’ll understand.