So I've been in this country for a year and 8 months and since then I've been building up a list of conveniences which I miss about the US. Don't get me wrong, there are loads of things which we have in the UK which aren't back home which I think are great like cream teas, decent public transport, exceptional, long history, amazing architecture, fantastic culture which changes every 20 miles, great pubs all over the place filled with interesting people. But none of this (except for the public transport) really helps me out day-to-day.
Let me begin my rant of missing conveniences with something small, actually everything small. Everything in the UK is small. The houses are small, bedrooms are small, food and toiletry packages and are small (so you have to buy twice as much of everything to last you just as long), the cars are small, which is good because the parking spaces are small. The shops are small. Everything is small. Which goes onto the fact that there's just no space. My house is a normal 2 bedroom, terraced house which is a very common residence for a couple of Steve's a my age to live in... in the UK. In the US, this house would be considered teeny tiny. The ceilings are lower, and rooms are smaller, the garden is smaller, the kitchen is half the size it should be and melds with the dining room. Our couch barely fits into our living room and it's a small couch. I feel claustrophobic sometimes.
Another small part of the houses in the garage. On the way to work last week I only saw one house on the 30 minute drive which had a 2 car garage. Nearly everyone here has one-car garages and I've never even heard of anyone here having an automatic garage door opener. Nor have I heard of a door going directly from the house to the garage. If I want to get something from my one-car garage, I have to go out my front door, walk past the neighbors house, usually through the rain, and open up my garage manually with a key. This isn't uncommon for a lot of people here.
Of course having a garage doesn't even really matter which brings me to the next convenience I miss: driving. I've been driving for 11 years. 11 years and I STILL have to start over from the beginning when it comes to getting my UK license. That means taking all 3 of the driving exams, 2 of which are actually a bit difficult, particularly the practical driving exam where they fail you for tiny little things like not turning your head enough to look at your mirrors. If I had come from mainland Europe, I'd just be able to switch my license out for a UK one with no problems, but noooooooo. It's annoying.
Some other quick things I really miss:
-Dishwashers: they're becoming more and more common here, but with the size of my kitchen, where the heck am I going to put it?! Newer houses have them, but if your place wasn't built in the last couple of years then it's not built in and you have to buy your own which is portable??
-Central heating/AC: Central heating over here comes in the form of radiators in each room which have boiling water running through them and are usually connected to the hot water heater somehow. Usually this is a good thing because it uses gas rather than electric and uses the hot water from the boiler (I think?) but if you touch one you burn your hand off! And you can't put furniture in front of them because the furniture blocks the heat and it's a hazard. So basically because the rooms are so small and the radiator is so big and you can't put furniture in front of them, they basically take out an entire wall of usable space. Plus there's no AC, but I guess it's not like you really need it because it only gets hot for like a couple weeks in the summer here anyway.
- Dryers: The good thing about central heating is that it's useful because there's no space for a dryer, so you hang your wet clothes from the washer over the radiators or on a clothes horse to dry when it's raining outside. But I really miss having a dryer because the clothes came out hot and fluffy and wrinkle-free and wonderful. But there's just no place to put it and the garage is too far away and has no electricity.
-Mixer taps in the bathroom: one hot tap and one cold tap. The hot tap is scalding and the cold tap is freezing. How the heck do you wash your hands with warm water? There's two different temperatures coming from two different taps! It's not even like they're coming from one tap. The only way to get warm water is to pug up the sink and fill it up with a mix of scalding hot and freezing cold water and wash your hands in the pool of water. It seems like it'd even be more work to plumb two different taps.
Anyway, I really miss things being easy and convenient. I miss things happening quickly and effortlessly. I do love living here and if I were given the chance to move back right now, I probably wouldn't. But it would be nice to have a few of these things just to help out a little bit.
28 February 2010
17 January 2010
Hard Times...
The last 4 weeks have been pretty tough on me. Work has been really busy and stressful but the biggest problem is a personal issue which I'm not going to divulge. Don't worry, things with Steve are still amazing so it's not that.
I've been doing my very best to put on a happy face and get through each day, but yesterday evening everything sort of crashed down on me and I had a little bit of a bad moment. I think I needed it though because now I'm able to start processing things and getting over them rather than just pushing them away and ignoring them.
Last night, during my moment, I also received a reminder of how fortunate I am. I'm so thankful that I have someone so amazing in my life who is understanding, comforting and always willing to listen and be whatever I need him to be whenever I need it whether it's just a listener or an advisor or comforter or all at once. He's great and I'm so lucky to have him. Love you Roo =]
I've been doing my very best to put on a happy face and get through each day, but yesterday evening everything sort of crashed down on me and I had a little bit of a bad moment. I think I needed it though because now I'm able to start processing things and getting over them rather than just pushing them away and ignoring them.
Last night, during my moment, I also received a reminder of how fortunate I am. I'm so thankful that I have someone so amazing in my life who is understanding, comforting and always willing to listen and be whatever I need him to be whenever I need it whether it's just a listener or an advisor or comforter or all at once. He's great and I'm so lucky to have him. Love you Roo =]
03 January 2010
The last 2 weeks...
So, I took a trip back home and it was really fun, the end.
Juuuuust kidding!! So here's a bit about my trip...
Several things ALWAYS happen to me whenever I fly. They're really annoying things too. I always get a seat over a wing so I can't ever glance out a nearby window and look down to see the ground view. I always get stuck next to someone who refuses to get into a conversation with me no matter how hard I try. I always have a very difficult time sleeping and end up hating everyone else around me who can sleep because I'm just so jealous. Th most I'll sleep is maybe an hour on a 10 hour flight. My bag is always one of the last ones to come out onto the baggage carousel. These things seriously never fail to occur.
So The layover in Boston was kinda nuts. There was soooooooo much snow!! I'm amazed that the plane was able to land so smoothly, even land at all! I had to change terminals so I had to go outside and catch a bus to the domestic terminal and there was like feet of snow and loads more coming down. It was great. So I got to LA and saw my folks for the first time in over a year. It was great.
The next day we went to Disneyland. (I slept through the whole night!) And it was great! It was sooooo warm! I was traipsing around in a tshirt and everyone else was in coats and sweaters and still cold. Loved it. I miss Disneyland. Such a great place and I really think you can enjoy it more as an adult. I got to have a churro (yum!) and we had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe where I had a margarita with Patron tequila (double yum!).
The next two days I spent in SLO (San Luis Obispo for those of you who don't know). It was sooooo nice to be back! I went into the Apple Store and there were soooooo many people that I didn't know. I think probably like 5 people were working who did know me. I got to have amazing food which I've missed tons: Thai Classic, steak from Tahoe Joe's, a burger from Sylvester's, Doughboy's Pizza. I got to spend lots of time with Adam and Crystal - two of my SLO faves - take advantage of pre-Christmas sales, see the Pacific, people-watch at the downtown Starbuck's. It was lovely. Ah SLO, you are amazing.
Adam came back to Fresno with me for Christmas Eve and Day which was actually the most mellow part of the trip and pretty fun. Not much to say about this because well, it was prettymuch a typical Christmas and probably just like the one you had.
Christmas Day, Adam headed back to SLO and my parents and I headed up to Sacramento to see my grandparents. I haven't seen them since I moved to the UK so it was good to visit. I got to chat with my older cousins for a couple hours which was pretty cool now that they're getting older. They're much more relatable now and it's nice that we can just hang out and have an adult chat.
Off to San Francisco the next day. Oh I loooooove the city!!! We stayed at a hotel like a block away from Union Square so we were right in the middle. It was great! Got more shopping done and got to see our oldest family friends which was absolutely fantastic. I've known this family since I was like 4. We got to spend almost the whole day with them. It was really great until it started raining and I was the only one with an umbrella. Of course living in the UK will make you carry one with you every day! Everyone else was soaked and as for me, just a bit soggy at the bottom of my jeans =]
We had dinner at this Irish pub place which was pretty good except they had "mushy peas" which were made out of normal garden peas, not the big fat peas which they're supposed to be made out of so they looked all funny and tasted weird. I felt kind of bad because I'd hyped them up when my dad ordered the fish and chips (which the peas came with) and then they came and I was really disappointed. They did have curry chips though which my parents liked (but they weren't near as good as the ones here).
The following day we took a quick trip down to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, ate lunch at Boudin's Bakery (mmmmm, sourdough bread) and then headed back to pack up and have a quick nap before heading to the airport. My last meal in the US had to be Taco Bell (I ate 2 burritos and a taco!) and the rest is history!
I was going to talk about New Years and going back to work and the snow and stuff but I'll save that for later. For now, I'll leave you with a picture of the best burger on earth!! The Hana from Sylvester's. Mmmmm.
Juuuuust kidding!! So here's a bit about my trip...
Several things ALWAYS happen to me whenever I fly. They're really annoying things too. I always get a seat over a wing so I can't ever glance out a nearby window and look down to see the ground view. I always get stuck next to someone who refuses to get into a conversation with me no matter how hard I try. I always have a very difficult time sleeping and end up hating everyone else around me who can sleep because I'm just so jealous. Th most I'll sleep is maybe an hour on a 10 hour flight. My bag is always one of the last ones to come out onto the baggage carousel. These things seriously never fail to occur.
So The layover in Boston was kinda nuts. There was soooooooo much snow!! I'm amazed that the plane was able to land so smoothly, even land at all! I had to change terminals so I had to go outside and catch a bus to the domestic terminal and there was like feet of snow and loads more coming down. It was great. So I got to LA and saw my folks for the first time in over a year. It was great.
The next day we went to Disneyland. (I slept through the whole night!) And it was great! It was sooooo warm! I was traipsing around in a tshirt and everyone else was in coats and sweaters and still cold. Loved it. I miss Disneyland. Such a great place and I really think you can enjoy it more as an adult. I got to have a churro (yum!) and we had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe where I had a margarita with Patron tequila (double yum!).
The next two days I spent in SLO (San Luis Obispo for those of you who don't know). It was sooooo nice to be back! I went into the Apple Store and there were soooooo many people that I didn't know. I think probably like 5 people were working who did know me. I got to have amazing food which I've missed tons: Thai Classic, steak from Tahoe Joe's, a burger from Sylvester's, Doughboy's Pizza. I got to spend lots of time with Adam and Crystal - two of my SLO faves - take advantage of pre-Christmas sales, see the Pacific, people-watch at the downtown Starbuck's. It was lovely. Ah SLO, you are amazing.
Adam came back to Fresno with me for Christmas Eve and Day which was actually the most mellow part of the trip and pretty fun. Not much to say about this because well, it was prettymuch a typical Christmas and probably just like the one you had.
Christmas Day, Adam headed back to SLO and my parents and I headed up to Sacramento to see my grandparents. I haven't seen them since I moved to the UK so it was good to visit. I got to chat with my older cousins for a couple hours which was pretty cool now that they're getting older. They're much more relatable now and it's nice that we can just hang out and have an adult chat.
Off to San Francisco the next day. Oh I loooooove the city!!! We stayed at a hotel like a block away from Union Square so we were right in the middle. It was great! Got more shopping done and got to see our oldest family friends which was absolutely fantastic. I've known this family since I was like 4. We got to spend almost the whole day with them. It was really great until it started raining and I was the only one with an umbrella. Of course living in the UK will make you carry one with you every day! Everyone else was soaked and as for me, just a bit soggy at the bottom of my jeans =]
We had dinner at this Irish pub place which was pretty good except they had "mushy peas" which were made out of normal garden peas, not the big fat peas which they're supposed to be made out of so they looked all funny and tasted weird. I felt kind of bad because I'd hyped them up when my dad ordered the fish and chips (which the peas came with) and then they came and I was really disappointed. They did have curry chips though which my parents liked (but they weren't near as good as the ones here).
The following day we took a quick trip down to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, ate lunch at Boudin's Bakery (mmmmm, sourdough bread) and then headed back to pack up and have a quick nap before heading to the airport. My last meal in the US had to be Taco Bell (I ate 2 burritos and a taco!) and the rest is history!
I was going to talk about New Years and going back to work and the snow and stuff but I'll save that for later. For now, I'll leave you with a picture of the best burger on earth!! The Hana from Sylvester's. Mmmmm.
19 December 2009
Merry Christmas!!!
Oh my goodness, it's been so long! Lots has happened since I've last posted on here. Lets see, where to begin. I healed up from my laparoscopy very nicely. There is barely a scar to show for it. We didn't get to have a Thanksgiving celebration which was pretty lame, and made for a very homesick Thanksgiving week for me, but I did come into work with some very nice Thanksgiving photos on my desk.
We also had the work Christmas party which was really fun. Especially since we got to get all nice and dressed up. In the picture is my boss, John and colleague, Emma. The 3 of us do the marketing for the entire company, globally. And we kick ass at it too. During the day we did a multi-activity thing with quads, trap-shooting, hovercrafts and dune buggies and in the evening we had a black-tie party with a meal and a band and lots of alcohol. Very, very fun.
The other exciting happening around here is the new addition to the household, Ripley the puppy. After much deliberation, Steve and I decided to get her. She's gorgeous, and really sweet. Now, 10 weeks old, border collie, springer spaniel mix. She's an absolute riot. Incredibly intelligent too. She's doing an amazing job with housetraining already, and she can sit and does really well on the lead, even though she only can go in the garden because she's not finished with her vaccines. She's sleeping all through the night now though she tends to take up all of Steve's side of the bed. She's also gotten into the habit of chewing on my shoes so we've had to congregate them in the front entryway. All in all, she's been a very nice addition to the household.
Anyway, tomorrow I'm off to California for a week which I'm very much looking forward to, though I'll definitely miss spending Christmas with Steve and Ripley. I'm still very excited to see my friends and parents and have Mexican food and tritip and Sylvester's and Firestone Beer and be somewhere warm. I'll be back for New Years though. Yay! Fireworks!!
We also had the work Christmas party which was really fun. Especially since we got to get all nice and dressed up. In the picture is my boss, John and colleague, Emma. The 3 of us do the marketing for the entire company, globally. And we kick ass at it too. During the day we did a multi-activity thing with quads, trap-shooting, hovercrafts and dune buggies and in the evening we had a black-tie party with a meal and a band and lots of alcohol. Very, very fun.
The other exciting happening around here is the new addition to the household, Ripley the puppy. After much deliberation, Steve and I decided to get her. She's gorgeous, and really sweet. Now, 10 weeks old, border collie, springer spaniel mix. She's an absolute riot. Incredibly intelligent too. She's doing an amazing job with housetraining already, and she can sit and does really well on the lead, even though she only can go in the garden because she's not finished with her vaccines. She's sleeping all through the night now though she tends to take up all of Steve's side of the bed. She's also gotten into the habit of chewing on my shoes so we've had to congregate them in the front entryway. All in all, she's been a very nice addition to the household.Anyway, tomorrow I'm off to California for a week which I'm very much looking forward to, though I'll definitely miss spending Christmas with Steve and Ripley. I'm still very excited to see my friends and parents and have Mexican food and tritip and Sylvester's and Firestone Beer and be somewhere warm. I'll be back for New Years though. Yay! Fireworks!!
31 October 2009
Well, Hello There...
Hi guys!! I know it's been a while since I've written and I apologize for that. As you know I've been working in Bristol so the weeks have been quite busy. That's not to say they've been bad as I still absolutely love my job. Anyway, I just wanted to update everyone on a couple things.
First, I finally got word about my laparoscopy and it's scheduled for this Wednesday! Eek! I had my pre-op appointment last week where they told me al the dos and don'ts like making sure I have someone to stay with me for 24 hours after and taking all my nail polish off my fingers and toes (why, I have no idea - they're not going anywhere near my hands or feet and what difference would nail polish even make?! If you know the answer please tell me because I'm very curious). I was also told that even though I'm not supposed to wear jewelry I'm ok with the implants on the back of my neck, they'll take over them to protect them (another curious thing - why does something on the back of my neck need protecting?) Anyway, I'm glad that it's being taken care of finally so I'll know what the heck is going on with me. I'm NOT glad that I have to take 2 days off work. It makes me very nervous as I'm usually quite busy at work and things are always popping up that I need to take care of so I'm not looking forward to what Friday is going to look like. I'm just hoping that no one will try and take care of something in my absence and mess anything up. The thought terrifies me.
Secondly, I am sooooo excited about Thanksgiving!!!! I've invited several people from work and Maddie will be there and Steve's invited his brother and Lana. So we'll have a really good younger crowd and enough people for me to justify doing an entire turkey! I'm very very very much looking forward to it. So I've figured out my menu and I feel like I'm leaving something out so I'm going to write it all out here and I'll need your help to let me know if I'm missing anything ok? So here it is:
Appetizers:
Crudites
Tzatziki & hummus with flatbread (I know, not very Thanksgiving-ish, but it's tasty and I'm serving it anyway)
Main meal:
Salad
Wilted spinach with garlic, pine nuts and olive oil
Pasta salad
Green bean casserole
Candied yams (unfortunately these will have to be canned because I can't get fresh yams here =[ )
Mashed potatoes
Stuffing
Roast turkey
gravy on the side of course
Dessert:
Baked cheesecake
Pumpkin pie
Am I missing anything? What's your favorite Turkey Day dish?
First, I finally got word about my laparoscopy and it's scheduled for this Wednesday! Eek! I had my pre-op appointment last week where they told me al the dos and don'ts like making sure I have someone to stay with me for 24 hours after and taking all my nail polish off my fingers and toes (why, I have no idea - they're not going anywhere near my hands or feet and what difference would nail polish even make?! If you know the answer please tell me because I'm very curious). I was also told that even though I'm not supposed to wear jewelry I'm ok with the implants on the back of my neck, they'll take over them to protect them (another curious thing - why does something on the back of my neck need protecting?) Anyway, I'm glad that it's being taken care of finally so I'll know what the heck is going on with me. I'm NOT glad that I have to take 2 days off work. It makes me very nervous as I'm usually quite busy at work and things are always popping up that I need to take care of so I'm not looking forward to what Friday is going to look like. I'm just hoping that no one will try and take care of something in my absence and mess anything up. The thought terrifies me.
Secondly, I am sooooo excited about Thanksgiving!!!! I've invited several people from work and Maddie will be there and Steve's invited his brother and Lana. So we'll have a really good younger crowd and enough people for me to justify doing an entire turkey! I'm very very very much looking forward to it. So I've figured out my menu and I feel like I'm leaving something out so I'm going to write it all out here and I'll need your help to let me know if I'm missing anything ok? So here it is:
Appetizers:
Crudites
Tzatziki & hummus with flatbread (I know, not very Thanksgiving-ish, but it's tasty and I'm serving it anyway)
Main meal:
Salad
Wilted spinach with garlic, pine nuts and olive oil
Pasta salad
Green bean casserole
Candied yams (unfortunately these will have to be canned because I can't get fresh yams here =[ )
Mashed potatoes
Stuffing
Roast turkey
gravy on the side of course
Dessert:
Baked cheesecake
Pumpkin pie
Am I missing anything? What's your favorite Turkey Day dish?
18 October 2009
Whoops!
Ok, so it has literally been a month since I've last posted. I am so sorry you guys!! I blame work. I get up at 5am, am gone from the house for 12 hours, go to bed around 9:30 and then start all over again the next day. On the weekends, Maddie comes down and I don't really have a spare moment to say hello to everyone. So HELLO!!
Anyway, it's right in the middle of Autumn again and I'm getting kind of irritated that it's so effing cold suddenly! Like beginning-of-December cold. Not Mid-October cold. Hopefully this means that all of the horrible slugs that throw their bodies out under my feet on my walk to work will die sooner. Seriously, they're like little suicide bombers. They even pop when you step on them. Blech. There was one in my garden Friday night and I put some slug killer out for it and found it the next day dead but in the middle of the path! And I stepped on it! Even in death the little bitches like to get under your feet! So. Freaking. Gross.
Well, I just wanted to say a quick hello to everyone. I'm off now to get ready for Steve to come over for the day =] Have a wonderful Sunday all. Enjoy!
Anyway, it's right in the middle of Autumn again and I'm getting kind of irritated that it's so effing cold suddenly! Like beginning-of-December cold. Not Mid-October cold. Hopefully this means that all of the horrible slugs that throw their bodies out under my feet on my walk to work will die sooner. Seriously, they're like little suicide bombers. They even pop when you step on them. Blech. There was one in my garden Friday night and I put some slug killer out for it and found it the next day dead but in the middle of the path! And I stepped on it! Even in death the little bitches like to get under your feet! So. Freaking. Gross.
Well, I just wanted to say a quick hello to everyone. I'm off now to get ready for Steve to come over for the day =] Have a wonderful Sunday all. Enjoy!
17 September 2009
I know you missed me...
Sorry guys, I know it's been a while since I've updated. Well, not that long I guess. It just feels like a long time. I've decided not to spend all night at the computer because I spend all day on the computer so I'll be brief but I wanted to just put a shorty out here.
First, the job is going wonderfully. I'm enjoying myself a lot with my work already and I haven't even fully stretched my wings yet. I'm really looking forward to when I'll be able to live out my full job description, whenever that will be. The atmosphere in my team is fantastic and I don't think an hour goes by when I don't have a good laugh about something with them. But really, we do get work done.
Another thing I love about the job is that it's right in the middle of Bristol city centre. I haven't spent a whole lot of time in Bristol, but when I have, I really love it and working there just reaffirms that I love that place. Everything is happening around you and everyone knows where they're going and you're surrounded by young, successful people rather than children pushing a stroller in one hand and a cigarette in the other, spitting on the ground saying everything is "lush." Ugh.
So it's mid-September now. September marks the beginning of my favorite trimester of the year. Obviously I like it because my birthday is in it (the 13th), but it's also when the leaves start to turn and the weather starts to get crisp. I LOVE Autumn. I love tromping on the leaves in the gutter (there are way more crunchy leaves here than there were back home!), I love the crisp, electric feel of the air. I love the build up to the holidays. October is just ok, but then we have November. Even though I'm in the UK, I did a Thanksgiving meal last year and I do plan on doing a small one this year, it'll be on the Saturday after though. Then the Christmas tree gets put up and there's Christmas shopping and Christmas music and the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with everything having to do with Christmas (I started getting it over a month ago!). Even though I absolutely love the sun and heat and being warm and absolutely hate the cold and rain and bad weather, I cannot help but favor Autumn over any time of year for the reasons mentioned above. There's really nothing that beats it! And, if you really need warm weather, just head to the Med!
Speaking of heading to warmer weather, my cruise is in a couple weeks!! Yipee!!!
Ok, time to get off my bum and do something now. =]
First, the job is going wonderfully. I'm enjoying myself a lot with my work already and I haven't even fully stretched my wings yet. I'm really looking forward to when I'll be able to live out my full job description, whenever that will be. The atmosphere in my team is fantastic and I don't think an hour goes by when I don't have a good laugh about something with them. But really, we do get work done.
Another thing I love about the job is that it's right in the middle of Bristol city centre. I haven't spent a whole lot of time in Bristol, but when I have, I really love it and working there just reaffirms that I love that place. Everything is happening around you and everyone knows where they're going and you're surrounded by young, successful people rather than children pushing a stroller in one hand and a cigarette in the other, spitting on the ground saying everything is "lush." Ugh.
So it's mid-September now. September marks the beginning of my favorite trimester of the year. Obviously I like it because my birthday is in it (the 13th), but it's also when the leaves start to turn and the weather starts to get crisp. I LOVE Autumn. I love tromping on the leaves in the gutter (there are way more crunchy leaves here than there were back home!), I love the crisp, electric feel of the air. I love the build up to the holidays. October is just ok, but then we have November. Even though I'm in the UK, I did a Thanksgiving meal last year and I do plan on doing a small one this year, it'll be on the Saturday after though. Then the Christmas tree gets put up and there's Christmas shopping and Christmas music and the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with everything having to do with Christmas (I started getting it over a month ago!). Even though I absolutely love the sun and heat and being warm and absolutely hate the cold and rain and bad weather, I cannot help but favor Autumn over any time of year for the reasons mentioned above. There's really nothing that beats it! And, if you really need warm weather, just head to the Med!
Speaking of heading to warmer weather, my cruise is in a couple weeks!! Yipee!!!
Ok, time to get off my bum and do something now. =]
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