so some family have enquired about where I live and what my flat is like, and I’ve decided to accomodate them by mentioning a little bit here.

i current live in tooting (tooting broadway to be exact) which is south west london. it’s a fairly multi-culti area, though heavily asian (which, here, means indian/pakistani/bangladeshi) and middle-eastern. the upside is there are a lot of curry houses, ethnic foods, and mosques. the downside is that we had a few suspected terrorists up the street from my house. all in all, i like it – it’s a lot less white-bread than other places.

here are a few photos of my flat (taken directly after cleaning; don’t be fooled into thinking it usually looks anything like this)

as you can see it is a) fairly spacious and b) not the least bit decorated by me (with the exception of the poster and duvet in the bedroom). basically, this is what passes for j’s bachelor sense of style, his main criteria being all furniture should be large enough for him to nap on comfortably, and purchasable from a catalogue. in other words, this is not my home – this is where I happen to live.

once upon a time, i used to have nice things. and a yard. and a dryer. and a bbq. i had a home that i enjoyed inviting people over to, and cleaning and decorating. seems like ages ago now. i have prints that I want to frame and put up, but since this is only a temporary stopover, it hardly makes sense. i have photos and art, currently sitting in a box in my sisters basement. someday i’ll live somewhere worth my while to invest my time and attention in again. for now, this’ll do.

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(advisory: completely biased, totally unobjective, thoroughly self-pitying rant ahead. you’ve been warned.)

okay, another failure.

I found black beans (not in a tin, mind you, but dried. i’d be praising jesus if I found a can of goya anywhere on this godforsaken little pissant island).

i was excited. i bought rice and tortillas and tomatoes and onions and peppers and yogurt for bean burritos. i even have adobo at the ready.

i rinsed the beans. I soaked them for 24 hours. i simmered them for two. i seasoned carefully. i stirred frequently. i practically sang lullabyes to the stupid little things.

they were just about ready. i left them for five more minutes.

and the motherfuckers *burned to cinders* on the bottom of the pan.

after listening to me rave like a lunatic for several minutes about the deficiencies of London, England and anything/everything British, jonno wisely went up the street to get some pizza. bless that man. may god shower blessings upon him for saving my sanity.

also – because they have no real holidays between now and the end of the year, (halloween celebrations being not much to speak of) there is already christmas chocolate in the supermarkets. but i *cannot believe* they put the fucking xmas decorations up on the high street already.

sometimes this country really bites.

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realisation that we will be travelling through most countries at either the coldest or wettest time of year. for each and every fricken country. I have basically signed on to subject myself to being miserable with the weather for 6 months straight. I am probably the only person in the world who looks at a 35C average daily temp in Thailand, and thinks, “oooh, i’ll probably be a little chilly in the shade”

I kind of knew already we weren’t selecting the most optimal weather timing (monsoon season in sea, winter below the equator). but it did not occur to me just how bad it might be.

< *sigh*>

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courtesy of the crazy face morpher

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Someone stole my friend Tina’s idea!! (okay to be fair, her idea was vacuums in slippers for pets – so they could clean up after all their shed hair… but it’s the same principle. copyright trespass!! trademark infringement!! idea police!!)

scary shit: nyc bike messenger helmet cam videos!

if you missed it: the guardian interviewed jon stewart (for my money the most politically astute and hilarious guy going). “the daily show” is coming to a new channel, more 4, with only a one day delay… hooray! looks like I mooched a freeview box just in the nick of time!

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finally caught up with my friend jessica the other day. we’ve known each other for 13 years now (!!) most of the success of our friendship is due to the fact that she’s one of those friends where no matter how long it’s been, i can pick up the phone and call her, and we fall back into things as if we only spoke yesterday.

it’s been a while since we spoke. i sometimes think that she worries we don’t have enough to talk about, because she has two kids now, and is a stay at home mum. in fact, all i really want is to hear her voice, to crack jokes about stupid shit, and just reconnect with the jess i know and love.

anyway, in all the hubbub over kate, i managed to miss her newest baby’s birth – good friend, huh? so i now present, ava elise. daughter to jess and jay, sister to hunter, and cutest little girl in all of sterling…

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yes, I am aware this site looks shit in anything but explorer. i may, in fact, have figured out the problems… but have been to lazy to fix anything. til then, suck it up and deal.

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well my beloved soxies are headed for the playoffs again!!!

a slight grudge, since they deserved to win the division, and only lost to the skankees on the technicality of tiebreak… hmph. still, in is in! last year we only made it in by the skin of our teeth, and look what happened then!

This season has been wonderful – it’s almost like finding a new joy in the game I’ve loved all my life. to be relieved of the burden of unbearable anticipation has turned me into a much calmer fan. i’ve been able to actually relax and take the bumps in stride. at the end of last year, i tried to project what it would all mean, post-curse.

And I’ve found it’s meant an ease of enjoyment i didn’t know was possible, because i’d never before watched a game without a mental sword hanging over the proceedings. I used to envy jonno his breezy demeanor about baseball, his calm sense of assurance – but I also felt it meant he couldn’t possibly care about the game as much as i did.

now i know that’s not true – because for once, i know what it feels like.

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Ha! Well, Kim says I’m kind of schizophrenic when it comes to my cooking. THings either go really well, and I’m well chuffed. Or they go horribly awry and I just bitch and moan.

so this morning I decided to try my hand at eggs benedict. despite the fact that I’ve never poached an egg before in my life…

they came out scrummy!!! crumpets are not as ideal as english muffins, but worked okay. the eggs poached fine (if a little wonky looking) the bacon was easy. and the hollandaise, which is sooo tetchy (whiskwhiskwhiskwhisk like your life depends on it!), came out lovely, if maybe a tiny bit too thick.

I’d love to try them with smoked salmon instead of the bacon… but definitely a “treat” weekend food, since I think i’ve inhaled my cholesterol allowance for the next 4 months…

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