Friday, August 15, 2008

Snakes, sausages and ennui

This week, six weeks in to our adventure, has been a bit up and down. The routine has set in now, regular, hum drum and dreary. I am not good at being unemployed. I have all this wonderful time on my hands, but no 'spare' money to actually go out and do anything. Of course, if they grant me a work permit, I will no doubt loathe my job, and not have the time to actually do anything. Such is life really. On the plus side, I have discovered the following things this week:

Larry is a very common name around these parts.
Making chicken stock from bones is wonderful. Trying to get it out of the ice cube tray after you have frozen it is less fun.
Delia Smith, although born in Woking, went to school in Bexleyheath.

My order has been shipped, twice.
Ocean Beach is a lot like Formby Beach, except with warmer sand.
There are buffalo in the park. They make low mournful noises which everyone else mistakes for hog forns guiding boats away from the cliffs, but I know it is the buffalo.
The circus is in town, moments from the flat in fact. One of their clowns looks like Michael Jackson. They have 40+ American flags at the entrance to the big top. They also have a snake whisperer.
The makers of Viagra plan to move in across the road.
Peasant Pie's 'Pie of the Month' is Turkish Lamb Stew. One of the ingredients is tomato paste. It costs $2.85.
Fire alarms in this building are terrifying. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the sound of a fire bell, as opposed to a voice telling me I am in mortal danger.
On 25th August, if all goes to plan, we will have a TV and a hoover.
Falafel are easy and cheap to make and can be baked in the oven, thus reducing the calories.
There is always someone asleep in the library.
Twitter is turning off phone notifications to UK phones.
The annual window washing starts late August for a few weeks in the housing complex. Currently, my windows are brown. Rain can be a good thing.
My favourite website message of the week was "We recommend you delete your browser's cache to refresh bad memories about our site"
American sausages are as bad as I thought they would be, and possibly worse.

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