still broke and homeless (but in a posh temp house)

Good afternoon everyone! We are still poor and I'm still unemployed!!! yay!!
So, Durham is a really cute little college town. There are lots of pubs serving bangers and mash, mince pie, shepherd's pie, yorkshire pudding, and lots of other greasy goodness. Since Bret and I don't have a kitchen of our own, we must eat out for every meal. Needless to say, we have grown quite accustomed to British fare. Though restaurants are super expensive here. Everything is...

So, we still don't know if we have a flat yet. They take for freakin ever here to check the references, etc. I don't see why they wouldn't want us to live there, but anyway. Hopefully we'll hear something next week.

We thought our possible-soon-to-be flat was pretty good, minus the carpets, until we saw Jim and Kristen's pad, our new temp house. God they have amazing taste. They also live right in town, but the place is brand new. It's all Ikea-ed out and it's got these gorgeous hardwood floors, new kitchen and new bathroom. Luckily Bret and I get to sleep in the same room in temp house no. 2, so that's a plus. But it will be a real blow to have to hit up New Elvet. Sure, we pay much much less than they do, and we definately can't afford to pay more than the New Elvet spot, but it's no where near the poshness of Jim and Kristen's.

So since I've been compiling lists lately, I figure I'd continue on with the theme.
Today's list is Britain vs. USA.
Good stuff about Britain:
1. bacon and sausages (much better than America's). actually, breakfast in general is damn delicious here.
2. "Dentyl" mouthwash- this brand is amazing. You shake it and swash for 30 seconds. When you spit, the plaque collects in bits, and you have excellent breath for hours. No morning breath the next morning
3. outdoor aesthetics- let's face it, all of Europe is gorgeous. houses have colorful doors, ivy crawls up old stone mansions, and hanging baskets abound.
4. you can buy liquor in the grocery store (that's right- vodka, gin, the works...)
5. tesco, the walmart of britain, delivers groceries and other goodies to your house. Hello walmart, what are you waiting for???
6. public transportation is far more efficient. buses and trains are great.
7. less urban sprawl- more efficient city planning makes for easy movement for one place to the next.
8. old stuff in general. the history, the castles, the cathedrals...just beautiful. it's so romantic to hear the bells from the cathedral gonging away in the evening. So soothing and haunting at the same time.

Pros about the US:
1. stores don't close at 5. enough said.
2. everything is muuuuuccccchhhhhh cheaper. food, clothes, transportation, taxes, you name it, it's cheaper.
3. less beurocracy- this is a biased one. But the trillions of forms you have to fill out here for everything and waiting games that you have to play for a flat, a bank, a life really makes life less flowy, shall we say.
4. broader range of environments and weather. You can get hot, cold, medium, sunny, rainy, everything. here in britain, it's rainy and cold, and that's it.
5. family and friends....oh!!!!! the twins! kiki and roberto!!
6. size!! everything is bigger in the states. albeit, sometimes grotesquely big, but at other times, it just makes more sense. such as the washer and dryer. the fridge, everything, really.
7. when you rent a place in the states, it comes with everything, including a closet, and appliances. this is a rarity in Britain.
8. you are not charged for having a bank account.