All That's Green is not a Pistachio

John and I stayed in a hotel in London the night before we flew back to Georgia. We sat down in the hotel bar to order dinner and the waiter brought us a bowl of green nuts. After he left I popped one in my mouth thinking it was a pistachio.

It. Was. Not.

For future reference, if you are served green nuts in a hotel bar in London, they just might be wasabi peanuts.

Packed and Ready to Go!

John and I are spending the night in London tomorrow so that we can just wake up and walk to the airport on Tuesday. I don't know how much I'll post while we are at home, since most of the people who read the blog are there. But soon we will be back in Norwich having more adventures!

Pre-Holiday Cleaning

John finally cleaned his office today and we put sheets on the bed (no pillows for that one yet) so I thought I'd show you how nice it looks! Guess what John is doing there at his computer....

Jack Frost Nipping at Your Nose

Mom always said "If you keep making that face, it'll freeze that way."

Here, it just might.

Santa Pictures

Radio Broadland put up their pictures of the Santa Run. Unfortunately, there aren't any in which you can see me or John, but we were there! We have the Santa suits to prove it.

Look at the pictures.

A Tooth Story

Since niece Katy is losing teeth, I thought I would share the story of my most memorable loose tooth.

My birthday is in July so I have celebrated many birthdays in Long Island while visiting Grandma and Pop. On one of these visits as a young child, I was not only anticipating my birthday, but also losing a tooth. One of my front teeth was very lose and going to come out any day. But, it was also one of my first teeth to come out and I wasn't brave enough to pull it. Pop kept on teasing me about my loose tooth. He asked me what I wanted for my birthday dinner. I can't remember all the foods I asked for, but one of them was corn. "Okay, corn on the cob." He said.
Wait a second..."I can't eat corn on the cob! You'll have to take it off."
"Nope, you're getting corn on the cob."
So for the next few days I was wondering how I was going to eat corn on the cob with a loose front tooth!
On my birthday I woke up and could feel something weird in my mouth. The tooth had fallen out in my sleep without any pain, and it was just sitting there.
That night I ate corn on the cob with my dinner. And it was delicious.

A Shave and a Haircut

While I was doing yoga and writing a book review this morning, John went into town to find a place that would give him a haircut and shave his face for him. It's a good job* he did, too because his facial stubbery was beginning to qualify as an actual beard.

*The British tend to say "good job" where we would say "good thing." I tried to find an article making mention of this, but what I found instead was an article on Oxford's list of top ten irritating phrases. "Good job" isn't on the list, but someone brings it up in the comments....wait for it....as an annoying American phrase. In fact, a lot of the complaints in the comments are about how Americans butcher the English language. That's why we have our own dictionary now. It's like we're living in different countries with different cultures and different ways of expressing ourselves or something.

First Annual Norwich Santa Run

John and I participated in a 2k run through the park this morning. It was sponsored by a local radio station as a charity event. All the runners were given Santa suits. We went to the park early to pick up our suits, came home to change, and then walked back in time for the run. We got honked at 3 times on the way to the park! Everyone loves Santa.

Even though I have been running regularly since July and John hasn't run regularly in years, he still beat me. Not that it was a competition.

Well, we had fun running with all the Santas.

He'll Save Children

Because John and I were not successful in getting children to sing with us last night we failed to answer a very important question: do British children sing the version of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" with exclamations, and if so, do they exclaim "like George Washington" after the line "You'll go down in history"?

Because, you know, he'll save children, but not the British children. (Fair warning: some people might find this video offensive.)

What do you exclaim when you sing Rudolph? This is how I sing it, and John took issue with some of my exclamations.

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer (reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose (like a light bulb)
And if you ever saw it (saw it)
You would even say it glows (like a flash light)
All of the other reindeer (reindeer)
Used to laugh and call him names (like Pinocchio)
They never let poor Rudolph (Rudolph)
Join in any reindeer games (like Monopoly)
Then one foggy Christmas eve
Santa came to say (ho ho ho)
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight
Then how the reindeer loved him (loved him)
As they shouted out with glee (yippee)
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer (reindeer)
You'll go down in history (like George Washington)

Christmas Under Fire

So this wasn't from the Ancient House event. John and I spotted the Rudolph bench in our own neighborhood. But since this is a Christmasy post, I thought I'd include the picture.

Now here's me in my 1940s Home Front Lady-Type Worker outfit.





















So, I think my playing and singing were okay. There were never any large groups that wandered into my area and I had a hard time convincing people to sing with me. Mostly John and I sang on our own, wandered around to see the other 1940s stuff, and talked with other volunteers.

One little girl agreed to sing with us, but actually just read along as we sang. I didn't mind since she was at least smiling the whole time. At the very end of the night a man came up to us while we were singing and joined in, then requested another song. He is from Hawaii and is currently living in Thetford. He was happy to meet some other Americans, and loves singing! I only wish he had shown up earlier.

Although I doubt I will ever truly see myself as a "singer," tonight was a sort of break-through for me. The last time I tried to sing in front of people; really sing, like in a singing voice, I choked. That has haunted me. It's hard to believe you can do something when you have proven to yourself that you can't. I had my moments tonight, but in the end I did it. And I'm very grateful to John, not only for being there for me tonight, but for loving my singing all the time.

I am exceptionally happy that the next time I go to Ancient House I will be storytelling, but I am glad I volunteered to do something a little different tonight.

New Spice

One of the adjustments John and I have had to make since moving over here is to our deodorants. There just aren't that many stick deodorants, but there are roll-ons and sprays. A month or so ago when I ran out of the stick I had brought with me, I purchased one of the Dove roll-on deodorants and didn't think much of it. It was a change for me, but not a big one.

John is more particular. He just ran out of his Old Spice stick. John doesn't like deodorants that are also antiperspirants because he has sensitive skin. Upon scouring the shelves he found that the only deodorant that met his standards was Lynx (you might know it in the US as Axe). Yeah, this is the deodorant body spray that has commercials showing a good smelling guy with girls mobbing him because his scent is so appealing.

Well, it really does smell good! I didn't realize John had gotten that deodorant (because of the name difference) until I told him he smelled nice and he said, "It's just like in the commercials!"

We went to a different chemist the other day and John said he was going to see if they carried Old Spice. I told him, "Don't, I like your new spice!"

Short Update

I was supposed to go to a meeting today about an "America Week" that is to take place in April. 2009 is Lincoln's Bicentenary and his birthday is not in April, but there is some reason that the America Week will take place then.

Well, the meeting was snowed out. There wasn't snow in Norwich, but there was snow in the city from which most of the other meeting attendees were coming.

So, I was a little disappointed that my excursion for the day was canceled, but then John scheduled us a new excursion. He RSVPd at the last second for a post-grad Christmas gathering that was taking place tonight at the Thai restaurant in the city. He had to pre-order the food and got me chili chicken that was too hot to eat. Good thing there was an appetizer and desert.

It may not be snowing here but it is cold. There is lots of ice.

Favorite Christmas Song Lyrics

I have been practicing Christmas songs on the guitar like a mad woman. I am playing for the 1940s Christmas this Friday and I am pretty nervous. I don't tend to feel very confident about singing in front of people (although working at the library went a long way towards curing me of that) and I have never played guitar for anyone but John.

When I was a kid I liked practicing songs on the piano that I could sing along to. It made them more fun. When I was in high school and got home before everyone else I usually used that time to play piano and sing (because of that whole not liking to sing in front of people thing). And I've found that playing songs on the guitar that I can sing along to is more fun, too. In fact, on guitar, I do something I never did on piano. When I sing, I'm usually playing chords, so I'm really playing one thing and singing another.

Practicing these Christmas songs, I have done a lot of singing, (well I had to practice that, too) and singing the same songs day after day, I've gotten to know what they are saying better than I did before.

I had never payed much attention to the song "The Friendly Beasts." Maybe I thought it was a little silly. I'm not sure. Anyway, I love it. It's so gentle and sweet. My favorite verse is the one about the doves:

"I" said the dove from the rafters high,
"I cooed Him to sleep that He would not cry.
We cooed Him to sleep, my mate and I."
"I," said the dove from the rafters high.

I think I like it because the other animals give really practical gifts like a blanket or bed, but the doves give the gift of song and a different sort of comfort.

I don't think I was previously very familiar with the additional verses of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" either. I really like the line, "Pleased as Man with man to dwell."

I hope that this Christmas we all sings songs of comfort and are pleased to live among men.

Little Known Fact

John and I went to see Quantum of Solace in the city today and also get an iphone for me. The movie was fun and it was good to get out and do something together besides walk around and shop.

After the movie I was standing outside the men's room waiting for John when I overheard this conversation.

Child: What was the bad guy trying to do?
Mother: He was trying to control foreign governments. Just like France controls our government.

Does anyone else in England (or France, for that matter) know about this? And, how did James Bond let it happen?

Name That Accent

Earlier this week John and I ate lunch at the Subway in town. John ordered first, but when I started talking the young man making my sub said, "Hey that's a cool accent. Where are you from?" At first I thought it was strange that he commented on my accent and not John's. But then I realized that I had asked for the "Italian herb and cheddar" bread. The British pronounce the "h" in "herb" and Americans do not and I suppose leaving out a letter entirely gets you noticed.

Today, a man from the UK Green Party came by our flat. He was going door to door. I let him talk for a minute or two because he didn't really seem to want anything and I didn't think it would take long. At some point John came downstairs to see who was at the door. Then the gentleman asked about how we like the new wheelie bins, so we told him that it's hard to keep track of which to put out when, but we're glad they recycle plastic now. After hearing us talk he asked, "Are you UK citizens?"
"No."
"Are you Canadian?" Again, I think he was specifically asking me, and not John.
"American."
"Oh, you don't have a strong accent."

I know I don't sound British, so I think what he meant was that he couldn't place my accent. And truthfully, I'd be hard pressed to place it myself. I learned how to talk from New Yorkers but lived most of my life in the South, so it's a little of both and neither. Let's say it's American, and leave it at that.

Cold Water, Warm Hearts

Happy Thanksgiving from the land the Pilgrims left behind.

John arranged a Thanksgiving potluck for the American Law students at school. We spent several hours yesterday cooking three large turkey breasts and making gravy. Once we arrived, John choreographed the setting up of tables and chairs for dining and tables for holding the feast. There were some traditional Thanksgiving foods like mashed potatoes, and some that were new like an Indian fried onion thing I can't pronounce the name of. There was even real pumpkin pie, like not from a can.

One of the undergraduates asked Ashby to tell them the Thanksgiving story. He talked about how the first Thanksgiving was between the Pilgrims and Native Americans and was a celebration of the harvest. He also said that even though he missed spending Thanksgiving with his family, he thought our celebration was very much in the spirit of the original Thanksgiving because we were different people coming together for a meal.

I like that. I think we were all thankful that we got to spend Thanksgiving together.

I am also thankful that after today there should be hot water flowing through the pipes again. And that although not having hot water for the past couple of days has not been ideal, the radiators still work, and the instant heating shower in the extra bathroom still works. So it could be worse. (The boiler is heating water, but the valve that diverts hot water into the pipes is broken so hot water is only going to the radiators.)

Today will be a day of catching up on chores and eating leftover turkey.

Teen Book Discussion Group

Yesterday Tessa and I headed into the city for lunch and some light shopping before I hiked over to County Hall to catch another ride to a book discussion group.

This time, the group was attended by librarians who work in the high schools. They read a list of teen books and also collected reviews from students who read the books. One of them was Just Henry (which I read and reviewed) and another was Kiki Strike (which I am currently reading and will review when I finish).

The dubious scheme for teaching children to read came up in this group also. This time I grabbed my pen: the Ruth Miskin Literacy Programme. Since these librarians only work with high schoolers, any students they encounter who aren't strong readers need serious help. But again, there was some doubt as to whether Ruth Miskin could help them. They seem to especially dislike the fact that her program is exclusive. The child is not suposed to read anything else while on it. And schools have to purchase the program as a complete package, they can not just take the pieces of it that they like.

I learned that school librarians here are hesitant to allow a student to check out a book the librarian believes to be on too high a maturity level. They fear backlash from parents and sometimes ask for a note before allowing a book to go home with a student. They did ask me how librarians handle this in the U.S. and I explained that if the book is in the library, the student is allowed to check it out. If a parent doesn't want their child to read a certain book it is their responsibility to prevent their child from checking it out.

When I returned home John, Tessa, and I took a fun trip to Asda and then ate sushi! Tessa left early this morning, but we will definatly have to visit her and the Cornwallian again before we move back to the States.

Cornwall

John and I got up early to catch a train on Saturday morning and it was snowing in Norwich!




















We rode a train from Norwich to Cambridge, from Cambridge to London King's Cross, the tube from King's Cross to Paddington, and a last train from Paddington to Exeter, St. David. In Exeter, the Cornwallian picked us up and drove is to the home he and Tessa have in Cornwall. We stopped to have a Cornish pasty on the way.

When Tessa got home from work we went shopping for our Thanksgiving feast. Chicken, bread, a butternut squash, and a swede. I cooked the chicken and it was very burned. Tessa made the swede and it was delicious!

On Sunday, John and I explored Cornwall while Tessa and her hubby were at work.















































Tessa drove us back to Norwich and she is visiting us for a couple days! I lured her here with promises of a tapas restaurant that serves jalapeno poppers. Here is a picture of me and Tessa and her two dogs Pegasus and Toucan. (Toucan is the one that almost isn't in the picture.)





















Today I had a quick health check so that I can use John's health center. The nurse (who was new) thought I had claimed to be 11 stone when I had actually written down that I weighed 115 lbs. She was shocked that I had so grossly overestimated my weight when I had actually just done another dumb American thing and used the wrong units.

But then Tessa and I went into the city and had the promised jalapeno poppers. Hooray!

Radio Silence

John and I are going to Cornwall this weekend to have an early Thanksgiving celebration with Tessa and "the Cornwallian." I am not bringing my laptop, so I will be incommunicado. But I should have plenty of pictures and stories once we get back!

I'll be Home for Christmas

John and I are flying home on the 16th of December and then coming back to England on the 30th. Start booking your time with us now before it's all gone!

I met with Libby today to talk more about doing school visits. I showed her the PowerPoint I've been working on (the one I had to redo thanks to another computer hiccup - and by hiccup I mean my hard drive died) and the paper airplanes I made (which were thankfully analog and so immune to my computer's problems).

She really liked them. She is going to see about scheduling some school visits beginning in January and I'll probably be doing programs in the library as well.

I'm looking forward to spending the holidays with my family and then being really busy when I return to Norwich.

KS1 Book Reviews

Our Big Blue Sofa by Tim Hopgood

A brother and sister like to bounce on their big blue sofa and imagine that it is other things, like a big blue car, or hot air balloon.

I love to touch things so the flocked sofa (on every page, as advertised) is pretty neat. The story is simple and fanciful, probably something I would read for story time. In the middle of the children's imaginative play with the sofa there is an interjection about how granny doesn't like it because it is old and hurts her back. This paragraph confused me and I thought it was unnecessary. It makes more sense once you get to the end and the sofa falls apart, but even so, I wouldn't have broken up the flow of the story in this way.

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

A bunny demonstrates several ways that a box can be anything but a box, like a robot or space ship.

I have read this book in story time. The story is told through words and pictures which encourages participation. The illustrations are simple with bold colors and thick lines. In every picture you can see the box and how it is not a box. The narrative style is like that of Willems's Pigeon books. The bunny is talking directly to you. I really like this book.

Two Frogs by Chris Wormell

One frog has a stick for defending himself against dogs. The other frog is telling him how unlikely it is that he will encounter a dog in the middle of the lake when they find themselves face to face with some more common frog eaters.

At first I thought this story was going to have some sort of moral, but really it is just a combination of a few strange twists of fate. It is fun and the frogs have some great facial expressions. Each illustration is a two page spread with space left at the bottom for the text.

The Bear in the Cave by Michael Rosen

A bear goes on a sing-song journey from his cave by the sea into the city and back again. The illustrations are two-page spreads with bright colors. The story is sweet and, thanks to the rhythms, one that kids will want to chant along with you.

Kit the Cat by Alison Maloney

Kit the Cat finally flops Flash the Fish out of the pond, only to be foiled by Dig the Dog.

The tongue-twisting rhymes remind me of Dr. Seuss and the illustrations are sassy. I'm not sure I agree with the cat being categorized as the villain, though.

The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon by Mini Grey

The dish and the spoon run away together and make it big performing but they blow all their money and then get in trouble with a loan shark.

More two page spreads. The illustrations are very busy. The story is cute but I don't think most children would get it.

I went to a discussion group today for "Key Stage One" books. The School Library Service lends books to teachers and then meets with them about every six months to hear what their students thought of them. Unfortunately, when I met the School Library Service people weeks ago, they accidentally gave me the wrong pile of books (there are two Key State One discussion groups), so the only book I read that everyone else had read was The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon. They had pretty much the same opinion of it as I did. But I did learn that Mini Grey is a very popular children's author and people who knew her work expected something different.

The teachers got into a lengthy discussion about a reading program that some people are very into here. The books in the program have no pictures and only contain words with the sounds that the child has learned up to that point. I learned on the car ride back that there is pressure on the public libraries to carry these books because parents want their children to learn to read faster. The teachers didn't seem to think much of this system. They believe there is nothing wrong with children using pictures for context clues and that they are more interested in pleasing language and interesting stories.

Filed Under 'Not B'

My old filing system, in my old office, was to put all the papers I thought I ought to hold on to in one of the desk drawers. Now I don't really have desk drawers, so I needed a new filing system. Thanks to John getting a hanging file box of one size and hanging files of another, I got a free hanging file box! Now my important papers are arranged by category.

I decided to try and learn even more Christmas songs on guitar because, theoretically, I can. I had been practicing about 8 songs, but have upped the number to (ha, I just counted and it's more than I thought) 17. One of the new songs is "Deck the Halls." You should check out the link because Wikipedia has the lyrics in Welsh!

Anyway, I discovered while I was practicing that this addition was maybe a little ambitious because it included two different four-finger chords. I have only gotten so far in my studies and "so far" means I pretty much only feel confident playing three(or fewer)-finger chords. Strangely enough, I had gotten attached to the song in my mangled attempt at playing it, so rather than cut it from the play list I decided to change the key.

Since it was originally in the key of F, I gave numbers to each of the notes in the F scale (starting with I) and then changed all the chords in the song into numbers. "Deck the Halls" calls for the following chords, I, V, V7, IIIm, VIm, II7, and IV. Notice that there are chords based off of notes I through VI of the scale. Since I haven't officially learned any of the B chords, I decided that should be the note to be excluded. There are no chords based on VII, and B is the seventh note of C scale, so my new version of "Deck the Halls" is in the key of C.

Now I just have to hope I can sing it 3 and a half steps higher or 2 and a half steps lower than it was written.

Migration

I moved my office upstairs into our bedroom. This is partly because I felt a little crowded in the old office and mostly because I felt cold. It is much warmer upstairs.

But future visitors, don't worry. I'll get a nice fluffy comforter to go on the bed in the downstairs room.

I had a picture of my new office set up but I can't get it to upload. I will withhold my theory on why this has happened. It is probably unrelated to the fact that John just got an expansion pack for World of Warcraft and is using up all our bandwidth playing it. At least, that's what the computer genius man says.

The Culture of Shopping

It is strange the things about your environment you take for granted. For example, in the U.S. I have stores I like to shop at, and know which ones I like for which reasons. Some are good for inexpensive things, others for quality, others for trendy. There are some stores I almost never go in because they are too expensive, or just not my style. Occasionally I will find I have misjudged a store and will recategorize it in my mind. Or a new store might open up and I will go in to investigate.

Here, all the stores are new to me. It would be nice if I could find parallels to my favorite places back home. There is a Payless equivalent, called Priceless (one of the upshots of buying cheap shoes is that you are almost guaranteed that they are not leather). I have found nothing like Target which is one of my favorite U.S. stores. And although I don't shop at the Gap often, I could have used one today since it is the only store I have found that makes jeans in my size (I have short legs).

John's loan money came today and so I set out to find a pair of skinny leg jeans. I wanted skinny jeans because the only waterproof shoes I have are my boots and they fit more easily over skinny jeans. I used to have a pair, but the library ruined them.

Having recently scoured the mall for 1940s clothing, I had learned that H&M has trendy clothing that isn't too expensive. I was pretty happy with their jeans, although they were all a bit long. But finding a decent store was only half the battle. The sizes over here are all different.

I started off with two pairs of jeans in the two smallest sizes I saw on the rack. To compound my private embarrassment, the skinny legs of the jeans were so close fitting I couldn't get the first pair over my calves. I tried on a total of 4 jeans before I found an appropriate size and style (because there are different kinds of skinny jeans).

The H&M jeans were less expensive than my Gap jeans and they are more or less what I was hunting for. I'd say, it was worth it for dry feet. And now I've conquered another aspect of living in England: shopping for jeans.

1940s

So, for this 1940s Christmas at Ancient House I need to look the part. I didn't bring my full wardrobe with me to England, so even if I own something 1940ish, its not here. I looked in a few thrift shops and even regular clothing stores and haven't found anything to my liking.







It occurs to me that dressing like Rosie the Riveter might be the easiest way to go, but maybe she's too American? I'm open to suggestions...or clothing donations.

In Case You Were Wondering

Sometimes I make cooking experiments so that no one else has to.

Falafel is not a good covering for chicken. If you buy some, you should probably make it into balls like the box suggests.

People

John told me some people from school were going to eat at the bar where Christine (of Ashby and Christine, the people who let us live with them when we were homeless) works after class today. It took some strategic planning on my part to get there. It starts getting dark at 4pm here and John's class was getting out at 7pm. So, I left the flat at 4 and walked down town. I stayed in the Forum (first the library, then the coffee shop) until John came to meet me. (I took my lap top and got lots of work done, but unfortunately couldn't get internet.) Then we went to Frank's Bar.

I had such a great time talking to people. Real people. Not an interview. Not people I'm volunteering for. College kid people. People like me. Except from lots of different countries. Drinking and talking about the problem with translating jokes into another language people. Oh man, I miss college. No, I just miss people. I need to get out more.

Upcoming Performances

Friday December 5th: Christmas Under Fire!
Ancient House is celebrating Christmas 1940s style. I will be bringing my guitar to Thetford where I will try to get visitors to the museum to sing Christmas carols with me.

Friday January 2nd: Toys and Tales!
This is another Ancient House event. There will be stories and toys from the past. I'll be doing some Roman storytelling.

Saturday January 17th: So You Want to be President
I am doing an American themed story time for the children's library to celebrate the inauguration of our new president.

Memorial Trust Meeting

Libby, the librarian with the Second Air Division Memorial Library, invited me to come to the Annual General Meeting of the Trust this morning. The library is a living memorial and so funding and memorial related events are run by the Trust. She told me several times that I was by no means expected to come, especially since I had been given rather short notice. But I'm sure, thanks to my rather lack-luster blog posts of late, my faithful readers are painfully aware that on the average day I certainly have nothing better to do.

I met with Libby and the library director at the Millennium Library (where the Memorial Library is housed) and traveled with them to County Hall for the meeting.

Parts of the actual meeting I enjoyed:

Learning about the group that makes this library possible.

The stockbroker's report. I know this sounds boring, but he explained the reasons for the recession really well. I've never been much good with economics and I think I actually get it now.

The summary of their recent trip to Dallas for a convention with the American Second Air Division group.

Listening to the memories of one of the Trust Governors who was retiring. He was ten years old when Americans starting coming to East Anglia to fight in World War II. He and his family befriended many of them only to hear about their deaths weeks or even days later. It is truly amazing to hear about the impact that Americans had on this area and on the individuals who lived here. Those pilots were every little boy's heroes.

And lets not forget the fact that both the Chairman and Libby mentioned me and spoke highly of my volunteer work for the library. (Although thus far, I haven't done that much. But I have big plans!)

Parts of after-the-meeting I enjoyed:

Free lunch.

Pretty much every person there came up to talk to me during the informal lunch. I talked to at least two British lawyers, and two American World War II veterans. One of the vets started talking politics and I just smiled at him until he was finished.
Finally he looked at me and said, "But you probably voted for Obama."
"I did."
Then he said to me, "Well, now he's our president and I will support him."
This man (who was, by the way, wearing a tie with small outlines of the state of Texas all over it) was the most polite person I have ever disagreed with.

Date Night

When John took me shopping recently I bought this dress. Then when I put it on at home I realized that it was a little dressier than I thought it was. My solution was to tell John that we needed to go on a date. Yeah, there are things that look like shoelaces attached to the sleeves. Makes me look like an asylum escapee. Crazy British fashion.

Here's what John wore on the date.






















We walked into town and ate at the Waffle House because most places close really early on Sunday. But, we like the Waffle House, so it was a good date.


In other news, the lolcats know about the pigeon mafia.


more animals

Chaturanga Dandasana

I have gotten to really like running, to the point where I am kind of sad on the days when I can't run. The problem is that because of my flat feet, I get shin splints. I haven't been able to totally prevent them, but I avoid doing serious damage by taking days off when my shins hurt more than a little.

Yesterday was one of those days when I couldn't run. I did yoga instead. This turned out pretty well. My legs (which get stiff and sore in all kinds of places) felt amazingly good after my workout. I discovered some tight places that probably don't get stretched enough during running warm ups and cool downs. I even spent some time upside down, which is always fun.

But perhaps the funniest thing about my yoga routine is that I tend to try to do the same poses even when I haven't done yoga in a while. Chaturanga dandasana gets me every time. During my workout I may or may not actually be able to do it depending on how out of shape I am. Either way, I can hardly lift my arms over my head the next day. Running this morning was a pleasure. Washing my hair, not so much.

Just Plain Drama

I haven't had much luck finding a job, (I never heard back from Build-a-Bear. It was just like last time!) so John suggested I look into some sort of continuing education classes or something...

Well, I looked around online and saw that the local theatre offers acting classes. Could be fun. The website gave some information on the classes but said if you wanted more info you should come to The Garage. John and I walked up there today to talk to them.

I approached the front desk and said, "I would like information on the adult acting classes."
The woman behind the counter said, "Just a moment." And picked up her phone. "I need someone from adult acting."
I looked at the bulletin board while waiting. Then a man walks up to me, hands me a pamphlet, and walks away.

My thoughts:

I came into town for that?

If this is all the information I need, and it fits on paper, why isn't it on the website?

If this is all the information I need, and it fits on paper, why did Mr. Too Important/Busy To Talk have to come downstairs to give it to me? Couldn't they keep these at the front desk?

If I enroll in the class, will he be my teacher, and will he always behave like such a horse's behind?

More Wheelie Bin Drama

Both times we got information about our new wheelie bins, the literature suggested that we mark them with our house number. I wrote on them with permanent marker, and then we purchased "wheelie bin numbers" the other day, but as of this morning I hadn't put them on yet. (Wheelie bin numbers are large, easy-to-see stickers.)

Sanitation picked up recycling this morning, which we collect in the blue wheelie bin. When I went out for my run I noticed that sanitation had not replaced our wheelie bin in front of our flat. I walked down the sidewalk and found the wheelie bin with "21" written on it in permanent marker in front of flat 25. I grabbed it and started wheeling it back to my flat when the resident of 25 appeared behind the closed front window and started gesturing for me to stop taking his wheelie bin. I pointed and yelled until he got the message that this was actually my wheelie bin. Then I continued wheeling it home.

How come I only meet my neighbors when I'm lurking outside their flats taking wheelie bins?

Nota bene: The "wheelie bin numbers" got affixed this afternoon.

Here are some more pictures of paper airplanes. I have acquired markers and decorated them.

A Penny for the Old Guy

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I can think of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Election Day

I have never been very good at the school subject termed "social studies." History, Geography, Government, Economics. I find it difficult to get into these things. Nevertheless, I took both AP Government and AP Microeconomics my senior year of high school. I got a passing 3 on the Econ exam even though our teacher told us throughout the semester that she wasn't going to teach us "utils" (a unit for measuring utility) because they wouldn't be on the exam...and then they were on the exam. I got a not passing 2 on the Gov exam which is still remarkable because it is not the lowest score possible and I wrote all my essays in haiku form. A particular point of pride is the fact that before going into the exam everyone from our class agreed to work the made-up court case "Kramer vs Crosby" into one of the essays and I was able to do this even though I was writing in verse.

This same year many of my good friends and classmates decided that they were interested in things like politics and they created SPAC, the "Student Political Action Coalition." As a budding student group they needed all the members they could get, and they asked me to join. Meetings had snacks and didn't last too long, so, why not?

The big project SPAC undertook that year was setting up tables in the lunch room where students could register to vote. They asked me to register (I would be turning 18 before the next election). But lunch period was so short that I didn't really want to spend any of it not eating. Worst SPAC member evar.

Six years later I'm voluntarily reading about Roman history, World War II, and I am not only registered, but I voted! But I still write the occastional haiku.

I hope everyone voted for Ginger Cat!

Four Things You Need to Know

1. John is a double esquire because he passed the Georgia and Tennessee bar exams!

2. I finally finished Just Henry and reviewed it in my other blog.

3. John explored our loft. It has a bed pallet in it. Come one come all. We now have two guest beds, one pull-out couch, and one pallet, all in different rooms!

4. About.com has guitar tabs for Christmas music.

Blogs and Books

Since John and I are such big celebrities, we clearly need our own website. This is a project of John's. Not all the links are working yet, but you can read John's blog.

I've decided I really like the book I've been listening to while running. I found it amongst itunes' free podiobooks: Earthcore by Scott Sigler. This book was only published as a podcast. At first I thought, self publishing, probably means subpar quality. Actually it's quite good. It's no Great American Novel, but it is fun and I look forward to listening to it, which helps motivate me to run. I like audiobooks and I like free things, so I just thought I'd share!

Abundance

I did an abundance of running this morning. I was feeling pretty good at the end of my half hour so I did another lap which brings me up to about a three mile run.

I got an abundance of fun new things in town today. John decided (agreed) that I needed more warm clothes and the next guitar lesson book.

There was an abundance of rain which made both of us really glad we got new rain coats yesterday. We were surprisingly comfortable walking around town during the persistent downpour.

"The Foolish Frog" has had an abundance of views. About three times as many as the next most viewed video I've put on YouTube, "Mattie Groves," and nine times as many as most of the other videos. I can't figure out if people I know have been watching it over and over again, or if people I don't know are actually watching it.

Nelsonesque

First things first. From this day forward John shall be known as John esquire because he passed the Georgia bar!!! (We haven't heard from Tennessee yet.)

I took another trip to Thetford today to observe what they do for "Ancient House Alive" days. I've observed a few different events since moving here but this was by far the most fun. I stood drinking tea amongst women in Roman and Iceni costumes talking about everything from Roman Briton to what the locals think of Thomas Paine. I really enjoyed being around the other volunteers and seeing what they do. They each designed their own station. There was Roman food in the kitchen, an olive tree, pipe cleaner torc bracelets, and paper mosaics. I'm looking forward to participating in the coming months and designing my own station! They also have some knitting events that I might go to so I can learn a few things.

As I walked from Ancient House to the train station it started hailing.

After lunch John wanted to go into town to buy some warm clothes and get an iphone. We had a very productive trip. On our way back to the flat we stopped at the co-op to get some candy. I put a pumpkin picture in the window so kids would know we were participating in Halloween. It was worth it because we did get one trick-or-treater. He had on a shirt with skeletons and a witches hat with stars. Not sure what he was other than cute. I think John and I will find a use for the left over candy.

Oh, and I'm wearing the spiderweb tights today with my black dress. Not quite a costume, but Halloweeny.

Happy Halloween

I went out of the house three times today! I've actually been pretty good about running because the cold doesn't bother me so much when I'm overheated. I had to switch from the baseball cap to the knit hat today though.

But, later in the day I covered my every possible inch and rode into town to buy a few things we have been living without. Then I had to go out again to get dinner groceries.















Here I'm just modeling the Halloween shirt that was in the care package.



















And here is a Halloween story for you:

Wedding Pictures!

John and I got a care package from Mumsie today and it had our wedding pictures in it!



















































There was also a towel. Thank goodness. Now I won't be hitchhiking across the universe unprepared.

Guilt Culture

My mother gave me a series of classical mythology lectures on CD for Christmas. The myth lectures were actually my listening material when I first started running. It was once I finished them that I started looking for audio books to listen to.

In one of these lectures, the instructor, who happens to be British, was talking about the "shame culture" of ancient Greece and Rome. When you do something wrong it is very public. You are punished by other people. I can personally attest to Italy's current shame culture. When I was visiting Rome, Antonella (the lovely woman who cooked dinner for us) would shake her finger at anyone who did something they shouldn't have and call them "shamo." This shame culture is a result of the Mediterranean climate. People spend so much time outside that their wrongdoings will inevitably be public.

The instructor compared this to England's "guilt culture." England does not have a Mediterranean climate, so people spend most of their time inside. If you do something wrong here you are punished by yourself. You sit alone in your room watching the rain pour down the window, being devoured by your own guilt.

I haven't been suffering from shame or guilt since moving here, but I am starting to see how the weather could influence an entire culture. It's still only fall but when I open the door and feel the wind, I tend to want to stay indoors. I tried to prepare myself for this last winter and learned that most of my problems with cold weather come from not really wearing the right clothes. So as it gets colder I will be buying some warmer things to wear. And then I can get back to public humiliation. My Italian roots wouldn't have it any other way.

On Guitaring

I started taking piano lessons when I was 7 years old. As I recall I had started trying to teach myself with a "teach yourself piano" book I found around the house and a roughly two and a half octave keyboard. My determination to learn impressed my parents enough that they bought a piano and lessons for me, Amanda, and my father. In all the time that I took piano lessons I only wanted to quit once. I now have the mental capacity to articulate that the reason I wanted to quit was because my piano teacher intimidated me, not because I didn't want to learn to play. But I'm glad my parents didn't let me quit and that my piano teacher eventually moved to Florida leaving a void that was filled by much more delightful teachers.

At 24 I have no guitar teacher other than myself, the same determination, and a head already full of musical knowledge. An example: I picked out the tune to the song "Mama Don't Allow" (which happens to be part of Thatcher Hurd's book by the same name). Then I figured out the chords.

But when I try to play it....well it's not so good.

Kind of frustrating when your head knows how to do it, but your fingers don't.

Just a note: I've added John as an author. The time change post is his. If you look at the bottom of each post you can see who the author is. He has also said he will tag his posts with "guest author" and "the hubs."

Turning off lights saves energy

At 6:30 AM the first alarm went off. The watch's light flashed as I reached to turn it off. I do not remember either the 7 or 7:30 AM alarm. What I do remember is holding the watch in my hand and at around 8:30 and thinking "So much for the 'early to rise' plan."

Clothes on, check email, clothes off, into the shower. Out of shower, brush teeth, find clean clothes, grab wallet. Find bike, find helmet, find keys, out the door. All by 9:15.

A professor left reading material outside his office. My class with him is tomorrow. I also had to deposit money into our UK bank account today. So off I went.

Up the street, around the corner, across a crosswalk, into the park, and out onto another street. Down the street, to the t-intersection, across to the bike trail, and ride, ride, ride up the hill until I met the tree-trimmer.

In Britain, shrubbery and tree-scapes are maintained be dedicated crews. Dedicated so that nothing will stand in their way. This includes morning rush hour traffic and those pesky American student bicyclists who want to avoid cycling up hills in morning rush hour traffic while on the road.

The anti-shrubbery machine's shrubbing arm reached across the bike path while the body of the machine lay in the left lane -- blocking all traffic going my way. Seeing a lone bicyclist coming, the body of the machine promptly left the rode so he might block the bike path more efficiently.

He was foiled. I was a mere diversionary tactic, and now the line of cars behind me and around the bend no longer were blocked by the machine. Unfortunately, as is the case for most diversionary tactics, this helped me, the diversion, very little.

So off the bike path, onto the road, ride, ride, ride, hard, hard, hard, up the hill and finally into a bus stop lane and once again onto the path, into the campus, and onto broad pedestrian/cyclist only lanes.

Ride, ride, ride through the campus, slow, slow, slower until I reached the law school and my paper. Into the door, up the stairs, up the second flight of stairs, down a hall, back the other way, lost, found, lost again, then finally, with paper in hand, back down the stairs, through a hall, down the second stairs, and in front of the instant coffee machine.

50p later (50 pence, half a pound) a flimsy plastic cup held instant coffee grounds that were being dissolved as hot water flowed over them. Stirring straw in hand, I went to the main hall to rest and read a bit of my paper.

Read, read, read, but not too fast. Sip, sip, sip, but not too slow. Coffee gone, paper packed in my backpack, out the door and off I went once again on the cycle. Surprisingly, my bike was the only one at the school, which seemed odd. Usually there are another 20 or so.

Ride, ride, ride through campus. In the park a dog in the distance, running, ignoring his owner, sees me and comes my way. Ride some more, reach the sidewalk, stop and wait. Dog comes up, looks at me, decides I am not a squirrel, stops ignoring the owner and runs back. Ride, ride, ride down to the student commons and the bank. Park the bike, chain to the post, and off on foot I went.

Walk, walk, walk to the bank. It's now 10:08, and I reach to open the door. Nothing. Locked. Sign on the door says the bank is open at 9:30. Check watch, 10:09. Perhaps it is a bank holiday, perhaps they open later? Workers are inside, so I will get more coffee. I walk two doors down to Dolce Vita, a coffee shop.

It is important here to note that something like this has happened before. Earlier in the year I tried to go into Dolce Vita. It was morning. Around 9 or 10. The door did not open. People were inside drinking coffee. People were outside at their tables drinking coffee. People were placing orders at the counter. The door would not open. No one came to open it. I felt like a fool, but worse was the idea that these people were so incompetent as to lock out potential customers during open hours. Dolce Vita is not so much dolce, and sometimes I think their employees have little in the way of vita.

But, today, the door opened. In I went, coffee I ordered, outside I sat, my law paper I read.

I saw someone go into the bank, so I figured they finally opened. I hurried my coffee drinking, possibly burning my mouth. Paper packed, bike helmet in hand, coffee cup in the trash, I went to the bank door. It was 10:25. Nothing. Locked. Still. One of the employers held up five fingers. Must be open at 10:30 then, so I went to wander the student commons area looking at posters.

Bus complaints, parking complaints, upcoming bands, gun ownership statistics and why that's bad, statistics on poverty and the wealth divide, Dashboard Confessionals in December, so many posters, apparently so much time.

10:30, the three people waiting outside was let in. I walk over. Something, finally -- the door opens. By now the pattern has become apparent. I ask the employee near the door: "Let me guess -- it's 9:30?" Yes, he says. "Ah, time change," I say.

It is possible to fall forward, but not advisable. And, apparently the British fall back earlier. At least Republicans will be happy to know the British understand turning off lights saves energy.

Really, They are Called Wheelie Bins

Several weeks ago I heard a bunch of commotion and rolling on the street. When I looked outside I saw that sanitation had brought everyone new wheelie bins for our trash. They didn't take our old trash can which was made of thick metal and roughly resembled Oscar the Grouch's house. We moved it to the back yard for outside trash.

Last week we got some information in the mail saying that everyone would be getting new wheelie bins for the recycling. On the appointed day lots of light blue wheelie bins showed up all over the sidewalks. When I came back from my run I went to claim our wheelie bin and discovered that there wasn't one outside our flat! There were four outside the next flat so I was going to take one of those, but saw that house numbers had been scrawled on the side of each bin. Next door were the wheelie bins for 23, 23A, 25, and 25A.

Oh, I see what the problem is. The numbering on our street is strange, and my wheelie bin had probably been put outside 21A even though 21A is not particularly near 21. I walked down to 21A where I saw the resident, an older woman, leaning out her front window putting out her trash. I thought I would just look inconspicuous until she went back inside then snoop around her property for my wheelie bin. But she saw me. "Are you okay?"
"Um, I'm looking for my wheelie bin."
"You could take one of those." Indicating the four next to my flat.
"They all have numbers on them that aren't mine."
"Have I got the right one?"
I looked, she did.
Then I saw one next to the road. 21! "Found it!"

A Phi Kappa alumnus named Will tells the most amazing stories. It is always a treat when he shows up to a meeting. One of the best things about his stories is the part where he tells you what Katie (his best friend and another Phi Kappan) said when he told her the story.

So here's what happened when I told Amanda the wheelie bin story. She asked me if the woman in 21A even knew what I was talking about when I told her I couldn't find my "wheelie bin." See, Amanda thought I made that name up. Nope. That's what the Brits call them.

Dust Bunny

Today I cleaned my office. It was accumulating clutter and dust. I took some pictures but I can't upload them right now. I'm going to blame it on the fact that John is using the Internet to watch the UGA game.

All the books are now on the book shelves and more than half of them come from the library. The Millennium Library only allows patrons to check out 15 books at one time and I am very near my limit between WWII books, guitar books, and the YA novel I'm reading. The one I'm going to have to buy my own copy of: Where Have All the Flowers Gone, a Singer's Stories, Songs, Seeds, Robberies by Pete Seeger.

I also vacuumed. At first I wasn't convinced it had made much of a difference. But when I emptied the tray a dust bunny the size of an actual bunny jumped out.

John did some cleaning today too, in the kitchen. But mostly he was saving the World....of Warcraft.

Americans in East Anglia During WWII the Trivia Game

What does "GI" stand for?

The "cockerel" crows in Britain. What is he called in the US?

Name one type of of high flying bomber.

What does Dr. Who's space ship look like from the outside?



This is another one of my ideas for possible school visits. Games are usually pretty popular. I'm thinking that if we talk a little bit about World War II and Americans first they should be able to answer the questions. Dr. Who? I like to include a "fun" category.

John Can Cook!

One night, a week or two ago, while I was cooking dinner, John was being very bossy. I can't remember what about, but he was trying to tell me how to prepare part of the meal and I felt like I already knew how to do it. My solution to said bossiness was to tell him that he would be cooking dinner the next night.

I have known John to not put a lot of effort into every day meals. He likes making nice meals for dinner parties, but on an average weeknight he is likely to eat pesto pasta (something I got tired of eating shortly after we started dating). I was pretty sure my plan of rewarding his bossiness with cooking duty was going to backfire on me and I would end up eating something I didn't really want to.

But John surprised me by getting stir fry ingredients from the co-op. We did have to take a taxi to Asda that night to buy a wok since the stir fry would not fit in any of our pans. But we finally had delicious food. Since then we have gotten a lot of use out of the wok and John's stir fry just gets fancier. He has learned how to make fried rice and lightly breaded chicken!

Now we share cooking duties. But John is still bossy. Especially when he is cooking. If I am anywhere near the kitchen I get put to work chopping peppers or tossing things into the wok. Ending up with a good meal makes it kind of hard to complain though.

The Squadron

These are some of the paper airplanes I made today trying to find the design that looks the most like a WWII bomber.
































This one is called a bomber in the paper airplane book. And it is much harder to make than it looks. Took me probably an hour to figure out one of the steps.




















I created this design trying to make a plane with more defined wings.

Aeroplanes

I've had a busy couple of weeks but after yesterday's interview I don't have any more appointments this week. So that means getting down to business on planning programs to take to the schools with the Second Air Division Memorial Library.

I have read most of The Friendly Invasion and in the process have learned a great deal, gotten lots of ideas, and had a good time. My favorite passage so far:

Lt Jack Bryant recalls how very basic was the first pub he visited near his Sadbury base. "After partaking of various beverages over the course of the evening it was necessary to make use of a facility euphemistically called a "water closet". A closet it certainly was not. It was outside in the back of the building and consisted of a partially enclosed slate wall with a diagonal through at the base. There was no lighting because of blackout requirements and overcast clouds limited any natural light. It was not quite pitch black, but it was close to it. Two or three local customers were occupying the available space, facing the wall while I waited my turn. Then one of the Englishmen spoke to another beside him, showing a forbearance impossible for an American. What he said was, 'Pardon me old chap but you're urinating on my leg'." (pg 42-43)

One of my ideas is to talk about the bombers and escort planes used by the Americans flying from East Anglia and then have the kids make paper airplanes in a few different styles to represent the different types of planes. I visited the library to get some books on World War II planes and paper airplanes. It's a lot of work, but pretty fun so far.

Lions and Tigers and Bears

Today was my Build-a-Bear group interview. I found out that someone will call by Friday to tell me if I get to come in for an individual interview.

Of the people being interviewed I was the oldest and, not surprisingly, the only American.

Highlights:

We each had to choose one of the stuffed animals and make it introduce itself to someone else's stuffed animal. I chose a ginger cat because he reminded me of Socrates, except that he was covered with pumpkins.

When introducing ourselves we had to name the most famous person we had ever met. I saw lots of famous people when I visited Jess last spring, but the only famous person I've come face to face with was Bruce Campbell at a book signing. Yeah, I had to explain who he was. B-grade actor? Army of Darkness? Um, he was in the last Spiderman movie...

At the end we were paired up and had to find out two things about the other person to share with the rest of the group. I was paired with the only guy in the interview. After finding out my two things I tried to make conversation with him by asking him what kind of fun stuff there is to do in Norwich. He told me that he had just turned 18 so he didn't know about the fun stuff yet. Apparently there is nothing fun to do if you are under 18 (which is the drinking age here). I told him I had to wait until I was 21 to have fun.

Norwich Castle

When I was at Ancient House on Thursday I learned that the Norwich Castle has a Boudicea display so I asked John if we could visit the castle this weekend. We rode our bikes into the city where we had lunch before walking to the castle. In addition to the multiple collections that make up their museum they have battlements and dungeon tours. I wanted to see the dungeon and John wanted to see the battlements, so we did both.

From the roof of the castle keep we looked out over Norwich. We learned that what is now the roof of the Castle Mall was a field where people stood to watch hangings, and the weathervane cock on the top of the cathedral is the size of a cow.

On the dungeon tour we learned that nagging was once considered a crime (in America too!), and apparently one only women could commit. They were punished with a device that went around the head and held a piece of metal over the tongue.

There we so many displays in the museum that we couldn't see them all today, but we did look in on Boudicea. I love the torcs. I will have to get one if I end up putting together a Boudicea costume.

On the Bus

Bus Driver: Are you getting off at the next stop?
Woman: (carrying three shopping bags full of toys) Actually, I was going to be a bit cheeky and ask if you could let me off at this intersection, if it won't get you in trouble.
Bus Driver: I could get in trouble, you know.
Woman: I understand. It's just that I'm afraid I'll get hit by a car while I'm trying to cross the street with all these bags.
(The light at the intersection turns red and the bus driver stops and opens the door for the woman)
Woman: Thanks. You're a legend!
(The bus doors close)
Bus Driver: I am a legend.

What do Boudicea, Thomas Paine, and Duleep Singh Have in Common?

Thetford.




















Today I traveled to another city. By myself. Using only public transportation.















I had an interview with Ancient House.



















I have been terrified of this interview. It involved travel and I wasn't really sure what to expect. But it turns out that Ancient House uses storytelling and other people-interactive-type-stuff with their exhibits frequently. And they think what I do is pretty neat. And they are focusing on their Roman collection this year. Really things turned out exactly as I wanted them to. I'll get to do classical storytelling at events that are already planned and it won't be so frequently that the distance will be prohibitive.

*Sigh of relief*

Boudicea Tells Rome "Up Yours!"

I did a little research today about British hand gestures because I have noticed on TV that a particular gesture that is entirely friendly in the U.S. is not so in England. The V. Yes, what means "victory," "peace," or "two" to Americans, can mean "something rude" to the Brits, you know, depending on which way your hand is facing. Going on context I thought it was their version of The Finger, but it turns out they've got that as well. I also learned that you shouldn't give Greeks an air five or put horns on an Italian.

In other news, in the hopes of doing some Romano-British storytelling while I am here I have created a story about Boudicea. Turning the work of a historian (Tacitus) into compelling storytelling is not at all easy. I usually prefer to tell in third person, but after weeks of struggle I decided Boudicea had better do the talking herself. I also took great liberties with Caesar's Gallic Wars. What fun!

Hitting my Stride

More and more I feel like I really live here.

I went for a run this morning for the first time since our move. Thanks to all the exercise I get as a consequence of not having a car I haven't gotten too out of shape. I was actually able to run for a full half hour, just like when I was in Athens. I even discovered that there are free pod casts on itunes, so I'm going to try those out for a while since all the audio books at the library are on playaways.

When I was stretching I noticed how dirty the rugs are. Our flat has all wooden floors, but there are lots of rugs covering most of them up. Since I was feeling especially motivated I decided to ride in to town and try to find a vacuum sweeper type thing. I went in two malls and one department store (without getting lost!) before deciding that I was not going to be able to find the one sweeper that seems to exist in all of England for any cheaper no matter how many places I looked. So I got that one and will hopefully have cleaner rugs tomorrow.

I have almost completed the beginners guitar book that I purchased at the same time as the guitar. Well, that is to say that I can play all the songs, but the interspersed chord lessons are not coming along quite as well. I have been forcing myself to spend most of my practice time on chords for the past few days and I am improving, but I also miss being able to feel my fingertips.

Possibly the best thing that happened today was that I was called about interviewing at Build-a-Bear. There is certainly no guarantee I will get the job, but it is a start. It wasn't until I applied that I remembered I applied to work for Build-a-Bear once before. When I was in high school and first started looking for a job I applied to work in their store in the Mall of Georgia (I think?). Anyway, Jeff had applied there not long before and been offered a job. He told me that in the interview they asked him if he ever lied. He said that he did. Everybody lies. They asked me the same question in my interview and I told them that I do not lie (I certainly try not to). I did not get hired. Perhaps this time it will be different.

Thinking Pants

I remember back when I first started hanging out with John at Miller's apartment he was always pushing his pants up above his knees. I noticed and thought it was kind of weird, but obviously it didn't deter me from dating him.

This past Christmas my Long Island cousins were in town and we had a little party in Athens. We taught them how to play 1000 blank white cards. During the game, Amanda's room mate Katy noted that John was wearing his "thinking pants" (had his pants pushed up) and even created a card instructing everyone to wear "thinking pants." Thus, John's pant fashion is now referred to in these terms.

At the University of East Anglia's Law School there are international students from all over the world. One woman, from Tunisia, noticed John's "thinking pants" one day. "Do all people in the United States wear their pants like this?"
John told her, "No, I'm the only one."
"Why don't you wear those...not pants? Shorts."
John answered, "Then I would be cold when I'm outside."
"Are you sure all Americans don't do this?"

I thought you would like to know how John is representing our country. And I'm seriously considering buying him some of those parachute pants that unzip at the knee.

E-N-C-Y-C-L-O-P-E-D-I-A

I remember my mother singing me Jiminy Cricket's "Encyclopedia" song when I was a kid often enough that I learned it. I can only assume this was because I asked a lot of questions and she was encouraging me to look up the answers so I would really learn something. But the most useful thing I got from the song was learning how to spell "encyclopedia." I am a very poor speller but that was one word I always knew how to spell. Not only that, but it was a very big and difficult word, so the fact that I could spell it impressed my peers for many years. It was one of two childhood parlor tricks, the other being able to say the alphabet backwords, which still sometimes impresses people.

I should have picked up on how the use of rhythm helped me remember how to spell things. My mother used a little cheer to teach me and Amanda how to spell "Mazzaferro," and I never forgot how to spell that either. EM AY ZEE-ZEE-AY EF EE ARR-ARR-OH Maaaaaaaazzaferro! (think: short, short, fast, fast, fast, short, short, fast, fast, fast, long) In later life I discovered that the letters in my yahoo address, sbmazzaferro, could be sung to the tune of "Old MacDonald" and heard the song in my head ever after when I signed in.

But I digress. The Wikipedia song that accompanies "The Ballad of John's LLM" is meant to be in the style of Jiminy Cricket's "Encyclopedia" song. I've tried to change it up a bit, but I think the resemblance is still there.





Perhaps you have guessed that not much has happened in the Nelson household this weekend. My bike stopped working yesterday when the chain jumped the track and could not be coaxed back on to any of the gears because the bolt holding the rack on was in the way. This morning I undid the bolt and revered its direction, so hopefully it will not be able to trap the chain again. For now, the bike is again roadworthy.