Seems like every time my plane encounters turbulence, I invariably find myself clutching the hand of some old woman of exotic nationality and trying to keep her from crying. God knows I'm not a relaxed flyer myself, but in this kind of situation I find it's best to play your poker face At any show of nerves, the foreign lady might scream, I might scream, and at that rate the plane would never get down.
(In case you're curious why I hate flying, I can trace it exactly down to when I took this video of our takeoff from Lukla, Nepal. I literally spent this entire flight delivering my soul up to God. This is also where my first encounter with a crying Nepalese mother took place.)
I arrived back in England this morning only to forget which side of the road cars drive on, an incident shortly followed by the bungling of a coffee order. In other words, it's just as I remember. After one look around, I'm packing my bag for Malta where I'll be for several days scoping out the Mediterranean Sea and . . . well, hopefully doing very little else. In the meantime, keep watching the skies.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Dum de Dum-de-dum Dum-a-dum Day
Farewell once again to Boston. And, in the immortal words of Jonathan Richman:
Dum de Dum-de-dum Dum-a-dum Day, I love New England
Dum de Dum-de-dum Dum-a-dum Day, oh New England
And now . . . back to Old England!
Dum de Dum-de-dum Dum-a-dum Day, I love New England
Dum de Dum-de-dum Dum-a-dum Day, oh New England
And now . . . back to Old England!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Never Fails
Just in case I'd forgotten what a real winter feels like . . .
It's what we Bostonians call a "Nor'easter". And, yeah, a good number of people went to work anyways. Including several gentlemen I saw wearing cross-country skis and snowshoes.
As for me? I'm a student! I've been inside watching movies all day. Pass the popcorn.
It's what we Bostonians call a "Nor'easter". And, yeah, a good number of people went to work anyways. Including several gentlemen I saw wearing cross-country skis and snowshoes.
As for me? I'm a student! I've been inside watching movies all day. Pass the popcorn.
Monday, January 10, 2011
The Desert Island List
Now that my brief sojourn back in America is winding down, it's time to consider what American groceries to smuggle bring back into the UK. More than once, I've wandered the aisles of Tesco pining for a Trader Joe's. Soreen Malt Loaf and crumpets just can't compare to the comfort foods of home.
This afternoon, I bit the bullet and made my shopping trip. In America we have a term, "Desert Island List". It refers to the short list of things you would choose to take if you were to be stranded on a desert island for the rest of your life. Consider this my Desert Island List, British Isles edition:
- large bags of mixed nuts (2) - necessary because they are twice as expensive in the UK
- dried edamame - the Brits have no appreciation for soy products
- peanut butter - because it tastes terrible in the UK (no wonder they don't like it)
- dried cherries - to remind me of my home state of Michigan
- one more package of each of the above, in a chocolate-covered version (not kidding)
- sweet potatoes, cornbread mix, and canned pumpkin - Southern US staples
- various spices - sorely lacking from most UK meals
Who knows? On the return trip I may have a suitcase full of McVitie's and Cadbury. Not that this would stop me from falling on the first plate of nachos I could get my hands on.
This afternoon, I bit the bullet and made my shopping trip. In America we have a term, "Desert Island List". It refers to the short list of things you would choose to take if you were to be stranded on a desert island for the rest of your life. Consider this my Desert Island List, British Isles edition:
- large bags of mixed nuts (2) - necessary because they are twice as expensive in the UK
- dried edamame - the Brits have no appreciation for soy products
- peanut butter - because it tastes terrible in the UK (no wonder they don't like it)
- dried cherries - to remind me of my home state of Michigan
- one more package of each of the above, in a chocolate-covered version (not kidding)
- sweet potatoes, cornbread mix, and canned pumpkin - Southern US staples
- various spices - sorely lacking from most UK meals
Who knows? On the return trip I may have a suitcase full of McVitie's and Cadbury. Not that this would stop me from falling on the first plate of nachos I could get my hands on.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
What I'm Reading
As I wend my way through lunch dates and post-work drinks, it occurs to me that this is undoubtedly my last chance to enjoy four weeks of carefree irresponsibility. Nine months from now I'll have completed my degree, and it will be back to the working world having reached my ultimate educational goal of a Master's.
Never to be a lazy student again. How do I take advantage of my time? By sleeping in, by spending American currency I won't touch again for nine months, by revisiting favorite bars and restaurants, and by reading.
I've just finished Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, a purportedly true story of an Australian escaped convict who spent eight years in Mumbai as a gangster / Bollywood actor / slum doctor. From skimming the first few pages I've been recommending it left right and center to friends, but only now have I gotten a chance to finish reading. It's almost 1,000 pages long, which by the end left me wondering if anyone thought I was crazy for subjecting them to so much book. It's also the reason I had to finish quickly. I couldn't take something that big off the continent.
It was an enjoyable 1,000 pages, though, and I certainly appreciated it now on my almost one-year anniversary of my departure for Delhi. The book was so long because of the diversity of the characters, the events, and the setting. You can't consolidate such an amazing experience into any less. It's the kind of book that makes you appreciate your own cast of characters, and the way it grows and grows every year.
The best way to show that appreciation, of course, is to call up old friends and set up more lunch dates. It's good to be back, at least for a short time.
Never to be a lazy student again. How do I take advantage of my time? By sleeping in, by spending American currency I won't touch again for nine months, by revisiting favorite bars and restaurants, and by reading.
I've just finished Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, a purportedly true story of an Australian escaped convict who spent eight years in Mumbai as a gangster / Bollywood actor / slum doctor. From skimming the first few pages I've been recommending it left right and center to friends, but only now have I gotten a chance to finish reading. It's almost 1,000 pages long, which by the end left me wondering if anyone thought I was crazy for subjecting them to so much book. It's also the reason I had to finish quickly. I couldn't take something that big off the continent.
It was an enjoyable 1,000 pages, though, and I certainly appreciated it now on my almost one-year anniversary of my departure for Delhi. The book was so long because of the diversity of the characters, the events, and the setting. You can't consolidate such an amazing experience into any less. It's the kind of book that makes you appreciate your own cast of characters, and the way it grows and grows every year.
The best way to show that appreciation, of course, is to call up old friends and set up more lunch dates. It's good to be back, at least for a short time.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Gift That Keeps E-Giving
True to form, I bought almost every single one of my family's Christmas presents in a bookstore this year. (The one notable exception was the Top Gear Stiggy Toffee Tin I bought for my boyfriend at Tesco. Fantastic. But I digress.) At one point I was even so brave to 'gift' an ebook to my younger sister. But horrors! The Amazon UK Kindle bookstore wouldn't let me send any ebooks!
Undaunted, I simply switched my account back to the US by tying it back to my US credit card. The result was like the change from night to day.
As it turns out, the Amazon UK ebook store and the Amazon US ebook store are nothing alike. True, they're different markets, but I didn't realise that by reconfiguring my Kindle to my Amazon US account I would gain thousands of books in the library and new features like gifting and, now, lending. Now I even have Kindle bestseller lists and personalised recommendations to help me search, which is pretty significant when there are no physical books to browse through.
No wonder my English friends are still a bit curious when I rave about my ereader. With a noticeably more dismal online shopping platform, it's not that difficult to imagine a lingering preference for brick, mortar, and binding.
And, by the way, Sis: you're welcome.
Undaunted, I simply switched my account back to the US by tying it back to my US credit card. The result was like the change from night to day.
As it turns out, the Amazon UK ebook store and the Amazon US ebook store are nothing alike. True, they're different markets, but I didn't realise that by reconfiguring my Kindle to my Amazon US account I would gain thousands of books in the library and new features like gifting and, now, lending. Now I even have Kindle bestseller lists and personalised recommendations to help me search, which is pretty significant when there are no physical books to browse through.
No wonder my English friends are still a bit curious when I rave about my ereader. With a noticeably more dismal online shopping platform, it's not that difficult to imagine a lingering preference for brick, mortar, and binding.
And, by the way, Sis: you're welcome.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New England New Year
Happily back in Boston to celebrate the beginning of a new year of adventures.
Note that this was all made possible despite a foot of snow dumped on the city a few days before my arrival. Unlike London, however, Boston was able to clear the runways and I arrived without incident. Let me put this in writing: it is great to be back. I missed this city more than I realized, and at midnight on January 1 (er, 1 January) I was only more resolved to begin 2012 right back here where I belong.
The first step is to nurse my hangover on the couch watching the Bowl Games with my loved ones. If 2011 continues how it began, I think I'm in for a good year.
Note that this was all made possible despite a foot of snow dumped on the city a few days before my arrival. Unlike London, however, Boston was able to clear the runways and I arrived without incident. Let me put this in writing: it is great to be back. I missed this city more than I realized, and at midnight on January 1 (er, 1 January) I was only more resolved to begin 2012 right back here where I belong.
The first step is to nurse my hangover on the couch watching the Bowl Games with my loved ones. If 2011 continues how it began, I think I'm in for a good year.
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