I missed you!

Hey guys! I hope you're all ok. As for me, I'm not too bad. It's been a nice relaxing weekend. I'm not sure if I've mentioned the night 3 weeks ago where Steve and I went out and got trashed with a friend of ours, but Friday night we decided that we should have a replay of it. We were meeting a bunch of people from "work" (I put it in quotes because, well, we don't work there anymore) to catch up and stuff at 6pm at our favorite little bar in town.

We didn't leave until 2am, completely hammered of course, 3-5 pints, 3 long islands, 2 mimosas, and several vodka and cokes later. We also made a new friend: a massive guy named Rob who was totally scoping me out all night and when I finally mentioned something about it, Steve marched over to him, sat down right next to him and was talking to him for like 5 minutes (oddly enough, Steve kept scooting closer and closer to him the whole time so he ended up leaning on him), the whole time Mike and I were left with our jaws on the floor. I mean, this guy was like twice Steve's size! When they were done talking, they both come over and sit down with us and Steve introduces Rob to us and says that he's going to join us for drinks! We found out the next morning that Steve had actually threatened him when he first sat down and then said "No mate. I'm just kidding, you're huge, there's no way I'd even have a chance." Rob was actually a really cool guy. He was listening to really awesome music on his iPod shuffle and introduced me to a really amazing band and at one point we both had a headphone and were singing Don't Stop Believin' really, really loudly to music which only we could hear of course.

More hilarity ensued upon leaving when Steve took off down the street looking for me seconds after I said "Don't move. Wait here. I'm just going inside to get our stuff and I'll be right back." Of course he thought that meant "Let's go, I'm right behind you." Mike walked out of the bar with his drink and the owner Gareth (who is absolutely awesome and we love him to death) followed us down the street to get his glass back. We got a cab back home after getting some amazing chips (fries for you American-folk) from a fish and chip shop (at least they tasted really amazing; I'll have to try them sober sometime) and both Steve and Mike were telling the cab driver where to go, but they had no idea where we were! I was so mad and I kept telling them to be quiet and apologizing to the driver. By some stroke of luck we did manage to make it home where we scarfed down our food, which was the best food in the world for like 10 minutes and we all passed out.

Other than that the rest of the weekend has been relaxing. Yesterday we didn't really have a choice. None of us were feeling up to doing anything else. Mike had taken his motorcycle in on Friday and he wasn't feeling comfortable getting on it until the afternoon and I was so exhausted that I just put a blanket out in the garden and fell asleep for a bit. It felt sooo nice, and we actually had real sun!! Amazingly, Steve felt he best of all of us, which I guess is payback since last time we went out, Steve felt like crap and Mike and I felt fine.

Ok wow, this is getting to be a very log post. I've got to get going because Steve's parents are coming by for lunch today so I need to get ready and get to making the Chinese chicken salad. MMMmmmmmmmm. Sooooo yummy!!

I now leave you with a photo of Steve using my foot as a phone at Bond's Wine Bar. This was before the majority of the alcohol. So this isn't a drunken picture. It's just showing how strange we are normally.

No more food... for now

Ok, this post will NOT be about food (dang except I remembered something I wanted to say about food). Well, I might say something at the end of this post about food. It's kind of strange considering that I really don't eat very much (typically once a day. It's not my fault; the meds I'm on have completely ruined my appetite) that I talk about food so much. Maybe since I don't eat much, I just make sure that what I do eat is enjoyable and tasty.

Ok, getting AWAY from food. The weather is crap right now!! Luckily it's supposed to start getting better starting Saturday. Thank goodness because I am so sick of rain. Steve and I have been toying with the idea of moving to Portland when we move back to the States and I don't know what we were thinking. I love the sun. I miss the sun. I miss 336 days a year without rain.

Today has been a rather nice day luckily. I did get the chance to go into town, have coffee with one friend and have lunch with another. I somehow managed to avoid getting a single drop of rain on me. The weather is supposed to improve after heavy showers on Friday, but we'll see. They're usually wrong.

Lately, I've been unspeakably homesick. I'm not sure why, but I have been aching for California for the last week or so. I really miss it. Everything about it. Just over a year and I'm majorly suffering here. I really hope it gets better because I don't see a solution which puts me back in California anytime soon. Plus I couldn't take Chaz with me there. That would just be too sad.

Back to food for a second. I have had the biggest craving to make a ginormous crockpot of chili and a giant loaf of cornbread and have a bunch of people over. MMmmmm chili and cornbread. If only I had a packet of Carroll Shelby's Chili Kit. Sooooo, Mom and Dad. Feel like sending over a tiny little care package anytime soon? =D I wonder if I can buy it online somewhere. Nope, doesn't look like it. Ok, Mom and Dad. It's up to you ;-] A chili party sounds fun actually.

Anyway, I'm off for now. I've got loads of things to get done today. Hope you're all well.

Churros!!!

Oh. My. God. Steve and I made churros today. They were AMAZING!! And soooooooo easy! Seriously. I ate like 4 of them. Not like they're that big anyway, but they're just yummy. So I highly recommend making churros. They're much, much better than the ones you get at Disneyland or at any stand on the beach. Next time I make them I'm going to try the hot chocolate recipe too. Anyway, the reason I made them in the first place was because Steve's boss tried them in California and asked Steve to see if I'd make them so I looked up the recipe and saw how simple they were and there they are! I'm making Steve bring most of them to work tomorrow so I don't eat them all tomorrow while I'm home because the chances of that happening are very good.

In Chaz news, he has become such a MASSIVE slob!! Every morning when I walk into the office, I look at his cage and the fleece which lines his cage is balled up in the middle of the cage. The paper towel which lines his litter tray is balled up under the fleece and his food is chucked all over the place. His igloo is often moved from the corner of the cage and he might be in it or he might be somewhere in the midst of the fleece/paper towel/food mixture. I'm not sure what's going on with him, but I think I have a teenage hedgehog on my hands. He's also still quilling. We gave him another bath today and he still doesn't like them. Poor guy tries to climb up my arms to get out of the water. Oh well, they make his skin feel better, so he's going to keep getting them.

Anyway, I'm off to go watch a film. Have a good Sunday!

Pizza!!

I just had great pizza. I've been really afraid to try pizza in this country because, well frankly I've been spoiled by Doughboy's Pizzeria in Arroyo Grande, which is owned by a friend of ours back home, and of course Round Table. They've got Domino's and Pizza Hut here, but, come on, that's just disgusting. There's an Italian place which does Italian pizzas but that's different than having a pizza delivered to your house.

Anyway, good pizza. The only thing which was missing was ranch dressing. Mmmmmmmm. They've got what they call "ranch" in some places here, and I don't know what it really is, but it is NOT ranch. If someone is feeling really nice, they can send me a bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing. I will love you forever. And throw some Taco Bell sauce packets in the box too. Wow, if I weren't so full I'd kill for a Taco Bell burrito right now. Or a churro. Hmmm, I just found a recipe for churros. It looks pretty easy. I think I'm going to have to try this one... I'll let you know how it goes.

First Post in a New Place

I feel funny here. It's not the same. Not that I'm not used to being in blogger. I have some old blogger blogs, but it's just not my old website. Oh well.

So I'm going to start this blog out right with some good news. Yesterday while looking for jobs, I checked the Apple Jobs site in desperation and found that they're opening another Apple Store in Bristol and they're hiring for all positions. OF COURSE I applied for my old position as Business Partner. How amazing would it be to work for Apple again?? Pretty freaking amazing. I emailed my old manager from back home and asked if I could use her as a reference and got the affirmative. I also sent off an email to the Regional Recruiter who interviewed me for Apple in California to have him put me in touch with the UK recruiter for this job. Colin the recruiter, and the manager of the massive San Francisco store loved me sooo much on my very first interview that they didn't even give me a second one! I was called back the following day and told I got the job. They didn't even interview anyone else for my position. Just me. I'm that awesome. I wouldn't need any training for this job and I've got the B2B experience in this country already from the job I've been working for the last few months. It'd be silly not to hire me for this position. I'm so hopeful yet I'm so afraid to hope because I've been so let down lately.

That's all. I had a meeting today at work as to what's going on and I'm too depressed to report it. I'm going to go lay down.