We Need More Amsterdam

Hi all. Bret and I are writing to you from the Princess of Norway DFDS cruise ship. It’s pretty cool, with several restaurants, lots of bars, and some not so spectacular entertainment.

The trip from Newcastle to Amsterdam is very long- 15 hours by boat each way! So as you might imagine, the ship tries to keep things as lively as possible. There is a ‘pirate’ for the children, which they love, a few shops, and a movie theatre, in addition to several singers and some dancers that parade around in feathery outfits. The cabins are very bare-bone, just a bunk bed and a small en-suite. I was hoping there would be a tv, but no such luck.

It has been very weird travelling by cruise. Neither Bret nor I had ever been on one, and though it has been a good cheap adventure, I can’t say I’d do it again. The ship sways wildly from side to side on the choppy North Sea, and the hum from the boat makes it feel like you are in a perpetual earthquake. I miss the speed and efficiency of flying. We were supposed to arrive in Amsterdam at 9am and depart at 6 pm, but there were quite a few details that were left out, particularly, that the boat does not actually arrive in Amsterdam, but in the industrial outskirts of the quaint city. Instead, we got off the boat at 9:40 and got on a 45 minute bus ride to city centre. Then, the bus picked us up at 3:30 from city centre. So effectively, we had about 5 hours in Amsterdam. We were not pleased by that…

But we made the best of it…after grabbing some dutch breakfast (delicious with cheeses and fried eggs) and dutch apple pancakes (like crepes) we rented some bicylces so we could go around the city faster. We realised that we would not be able to go to the Van Gogh musuem, but we could still meander around town.

What we did not anticipate was the bicycling skills of the locals. I hadn’t been to Amsterdam in 5 years, so I was quite surprised to see that people not only talk on their mobiles as they are weaving through heavy traffic, but they text as well. The locals are expertly with their bikes, ringing their little bells as they zoom past clueless tourists.

Aside from that, biking is quite easy in Amsterdam. It’s flat and beautiful. There are lots of lush trees, and there are canals everywhere. The city vibe is very informal. There are lots of cafes, coffeeshops (that sell more than coffee), and cosy little hang outs in quiet alleyways. You see many a stoned hippy staggering about happily on the neatly paved streets, but you see just as many people in business suits and doing exercise with their dogs. Amsterdam is the kind of place that invites you to relax and enjoy.

While the Red Light District is a must-see for its sheer shock value (there are literally women in lingerie standing in windows, beckoning men to come in to their brothel rooms), my fave area is the Jordaan. Here, the sleaze disappears, and you can really take in the beautiful Dutch architecture. Homes are tall and narrow, Georgetown style. They are all painted very cleanly and decorated very simply. The most elaborate thing you’d see in a home façade is a vine crawling up the wall. The windows are small, and as far as I could tell, the décor inside is elegant and simple. Not exactly minimalist, but not as boring as ‘contemporary.’ Just elegant and plain.

A big downside about Amsterdam is that, though small, it’s a circular city, so it’s almost certain that you will get lost. It took us a good 45 minutes just to find Vondelparc, the lovely large green space in the city. But riding around there was worth it. It’s not a ‘perfect’ park, more like a simple untamed natural place, kind of like Amsterdam itself. Sadly though, after riding around for a few hours, we realised that it was time to go back on the bus and head back onto the ship…

I like Lon lon lon lon lon don, in the sun!

For those of you who have never heard of Stomp!, it’s a wonderful show where the actors use household items and rubbish to make music. It is very intense because it is essentially a whole lot of drumming. They use brooms, plastic bags, even water to form their sounds. And it’s very funny. There’s one guy who’s the ‘runt’ of the group, and the other actors make fun of him. There’s also another one who’s kind of a maniac, he had this crazy laugh that even made the guys on stage break character! What’s most interesting about the show is that all the emotion is conveyed with body language- no one speaks throughout the whole show.

After our show, we walked around the West End, which was bustling! The area has lots of little streets, so it’s really easy to get completely disoriented. After roaming around for quite some time, we found ourselves in Piccadilly Circus, which is the British equivalent to Times Square in New York.

Following the advice from the tour guide from the morning, we decided to stroll around Fleet Street in Old Town.

This, as we discovered, was a terrible idea. Apparently come nightfall, Old Town becomes Ghost Town. We were the only people around, aside from a drunken youth heaving his stomach contents by a tree. The streets were dark and the buildings were, as you might have guessed, old. Basically, we jumped right on the next tube stop, and went back to the hotel for an evening cocktail.

For our last day, we were planning on watching Batman in Imax, but the show was too late, so instead we decided to check out Camden Town and Regent’s Park. Oh, I loved it there!! It's so hippy and cool. And the homes are bautiful, too, with excellent gardens. I got myself a cute little dress at the Market, had a fresh juice, and then relaxed with Bret in the glorious, expansive Park.

But after some time, we were suffocating, so we decided to head over to the Science Museum where there would be A/C. Still feeling the need for a massive 3-D screen, we decided to watch the Deep Sea Imax show. It was amazing, aside from the Italian teenage boys talking next to us throughout the entire movie: “La barracuda es bellisima!” “que cretino!”

Exhausted from a fun-filled weekend, we made our way back to King’s Cross for Newcastle.

Well, I'll be damned! London Bridge fell down!

After having lived the urban life in Newcastle for several months now, I’ve become especially aware of public transportation. And as far as I can tell, The famed Tube is amazing. Walk anywhere for 6 minutes, and a tube station will pop up. Better yet, the trains come every 2-4 minutes, so there’s virtually no waiting. And there are loads of connections, so you can get anywhere in just a few minutes.

Our hotel, called Kensington Rooms was located just 2 blocks from the Gloucester (pronounced ‘gloster’) Road stop on the Picadilly Line. The area of Kensington is super nice, with huge, well-kept homes, frequently painted white with shiny black doors. Our hotel was very nice and simple- modern, stylish, and a very good deal. The room was very small, but clean and neat, so for 90 quid a night, we were quite pleased.

After Harrod’s and checking out a few shops in Covent Garden (Paul and Joe was my fave), I made my way back home to meet my Bret and get ready for a night on the town.

A work colleague of mine who used to live in London recommended a Russian restaurant in Kensington called Nikita’s. It was lovely, and the food was AMAZING! To start, we ordered flavoured vodkas and caviar with hot, fat blinis, sour cream, egg, and onion. YUM!! Then for our main course, I had a juicy tender duck with mushrooms and Bret had the most delicate filet of steak, cooked medium rare. Oh, so juicy!! To finish, we ordered a hot, honey vodka . To end our night, we strolled around the neighbourhood and made our way to the gorgeous Kensington Gardens.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to get tickets for The Lion King. However, as we found out, the cheapest tickets were going for £50 per person!! So we opted for Stomp! Instead. The show would be at 8, so we had plenty of time to enjoy ourselves.

First on our list was the Thames (pronounced temms) River, where we hopped on a tour boat. We saw the lovely bridges, the Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben. The tour guide recommended that we amble along Old Town and Fleet Street to get a feel for Old London. So we decided we would do that in the evening after the show.

After wandering around a bit, grabbing some sushi, and making our way closer to the hotel, we decided to check out the Victoria and Albert Museum. I had heard marvels about this place, so I thought surely it would be worth going. Even though the fashion section was cool, I have to say, the rest of it was too…knick-knacky. There were all sorts of little things, little rings, little plates, little saucers…I can’t cope with all the tiny old stuff. I like big modern paintings and museums with action and adventure, so this wasn’t my kinda thing. Exhausted from a day’s walking, we went back to the hotel, to recharge for Stomp!

Pass the Oxygen Shot to the left hand side

Hello Friends. Braudia, despite wading aimlessly through the treacherous seas of poverty, has gone on a fun-filled adventure once again. This time to London, the fab capital of England (and arguably the world). I hadn’t been to London since 2003, so coming back was a wonderful surprise. I couldn’t believe how many people were swarming the streets- it was exhilarating!! And wonderfully multicultural. So many Arabs, Indians, and South Americans. I was in heaven.

But that’s not all. Get this: it was hot. Not warm- HOT! I actually sweat!

I arrived to the steamy capital at 10am on Friday. Bret was still in Cambridge for his conference, so I took advantage and went off to do girly things, namely comb through the floors of Harrods!! What a display of conspicuous consumption! Everywhere you turn there are signs for Dubai Properties, opulent weddings, and glittering displays of Tiffany, Cartier, and Dior Jewellery.

Despite the fact that there was a 70% off sale, I still couldn’t afford anything. The beluga caviar in the food halls started at a hundred quid for a little vial (the most expensive being escargot caviar for about 400 quid). The food halls are glorious, with fresh exotic fruits, delicately prepared seafood, and decadent desserts. I got some loose mango tea for Bret (ok, so I could afford something) and then grabbed some cute canapés and a prawn pancake for myself. After I wolfed my food down, I went back for a bit of relaxation. Though I contemplated taking a bit of aloe vera juice, I opted instead for a healthy high of oxygen. No, not outdoor air, literally a tank of oxygen. I had seen oxygen cafes become all the rage in LA a few years back, and for 5 quid, I couldn’t say no to 15 minutes of lightheadedness at Harrods.

The spa woman disinfected the nose piece and started the machine of pure, unadulterated O2. I breathed in the fresh air, hoping to get a bit woozy, but nothing happened. After the 15 minute session, I realized I would get a better high checking out more merchandise, so I paid my bill and headed up to the ladies clothes. It was lovely. Diane von Furstenberg and Chloe have the best collections right now. But, as is often the case, the clothes I liked was not the clothes on sale…

While it was getting late and I was getting shopper’s fatigue, I knew I had to check out one more floor: the pet section upstairs. I had read that Harrods carried hypo-allergenic cats, and my desire to interact with fuzzy felines once again was strong. I made my way through the rows of doggie leather jackets, kitty ballet tutus, and delicacies from the Pet Patisserie, complete with ‘mutt-fins’ ‘e-claws’ and ‘pawfitterols’. When I arrived to the pet section, I learned the cats are called Siberian Forest Cats, and they are hypoallergenic because they lack the protein in saliva that makes people allergic. They were going for a mere £1200. Unfortunately, I couldn’t pet them because they were behind the glass. This was rather lame, as was the fact that they were sleeping. In the room next to them were the Papillion pups going for £1500. They were cute, but I think actually Andre is way cuter and more pure bred.

After hours of this mayhem, I decided it was time to leave Mr Fayed’s little shop and head over to Covent Garden…

Forthcoming

Hi all,
For those of you that have been missing our little updates, rest assured that this weekend, Braudia will be partying in London Town!

So details to follow...

A Day at the Races

Despite our aweful colds, Bret and I got gussied up yesterday morning (actually, Bret just put on a tie) and met up with a few of our friends to enjoy Northumberland Plate Day, the biggest race day in Newcastle.

I was surprised by how many people were at the races! The place was insane. There were groups of burly men eager to place their bets, crazy young 'hens' enjoying a day out with their girls, and groups of older ladies with far too much wrinkly cleavage spilling out of their chiffon floral dresses (as I took note yesterday, there is indeed an expiration date on breasts. and arms, and stomach for that matter).

Anyway, while I had on my very stylish coral bolero, I was very chilly because, despite being almost July, it was 60, windy, and cloudy. I shivered my way through the crowds and over to the bookies. I learned that there would be 6 races, and I had already decided that I would spend no more than 20 pounds on bets, so I was in no rush to place my bet. For the first race, most of us just watched to see if our horse predictions came true. At about 2:00, the horses came parading through the track. They were gorgeous- lean, muscular, and shiny. At 2:10, the first race began, and the horses sped along the track. From a distance, we could only see a mass moving steadily towards us. The crowds around us cheered fiercely. As the horses came closer, we noticed they were moving at about 30 miles per hour and being whipped strongly by the jockeys. It was exhilarating, so for the next race, we decided to begin betting.

I placed my bets on a horse that had good odds, I think his name was Joseph Henry. I put down 5 pounds each way, so that if he placed, I would get a bit of money back. Bret chose to bet on a horse called 'Burning Incence' because he liked the name. We decided to go right up to the track for this second race. Finally, the horses came parading through. My horse was running with his tongue hanging out and was foaming in the mouth. I took this to be a bad sign. Bret's horse looked good, despite his poor odds. When the gates opened, the horses shot out towards the track. We shouted for our horses, but sadly, neither of us won. We didn't even place! But there were 4 more chances, and I for one, had quite a bit more 'poundage' to spend.

So the third race was the big 2 miler. I eagerly placed my bets on another horse with great odds. We met up with our party and sat in the bleachers. Each of us bet on a different horse, so we figured one of us was bound to win something. But there were 22 horses and only 6 of us, so really, this was really just wishful thinking. As it turns out, my horse 'Desert Sea' which I had been tipped about on the bus came in third to last place. I began to feel like the bookies were riggging the races.

But what Norris told me was that in 'handicap' races, they handicap the best horse by adding weights so that it's a more even playing field. Confused by this whole process I decided to take a different approach. I would bet on the least likely horse. That way, if it won, I would get a huge return.

However, my horse, once again, was one of the lazy ones in the back. By this point, Bret had a terrible headache, I was still dazed from all my cold medicine, and we were losing miserably. Rather than brave the cold for another hour, we decided to say farewell to our friends and call it a day. It was exciting, the Pimms and Lemonade was delicious, but we needed our rest. We hopped into a cab and nappped it out back in Breamish Street.

Rain, rain, go away!

Hello all,
It’s been raining all day today and Bret and I have minor colds. So instead of going on our Jesmond Dene bike ride like we had planned, we decided to have a day of library, shopping, and staying in.

Newcastle has many different regional libraries. But there are none really close to our house. Instead, we’ve gotta walk for about 15 minutes to get to the Byker Library, which interestingly also has a gym and pool. It’s quite a vibrant public place, and today we went crazy checking out books and cds! Some highlights include Lightspeed Champion and The Essential Simon & Garfunkel. I also got several books on gardening, including The City Gardener’s Bible, which I have already started; a very unusual graphic novel called Woman’s World; and a novel called Everyman’s Rules for Scientific Living. However, I am a bit concerned because I have to make time to read for my book club, which has been going swimmingly, if you must know. For July, we’ll be going to Crook Hall to discuss Brideshead Revisited.

Anyway, so after our maniacal library spree, Bret and I parted ways, as he went to do a bit of grocery shopping and I went to do more clothes shopping. Plate Day is next Saturday, and I needed to get several accessories to go with my gorgeous new Adolfo Dominguez floral dress. I spent hours going from shop to shop, taking a quick sushi break in between. The worst was the shoes, because I only liked the ones that cost circa one hundred pounds. But luckily, I found some cute and affordable white wedges at Dorothy Perkins. Exhausted after an afternoon spent engaging in good ole fashioned British consumerism, I went home.

As I walked in, I couldn’t help but notice the wonderful smell in the house. Last week I bought some huge pink lilies, and they are very aromatic! Actually, a few weeks ago I was strolling down Gray Street, and the art galleries were having an evening event to promote Newcastle culture. I walk in to a gallery and notice that it smells absolutely divine! I ask the curator, and she tells me that she got the lilies at Grainger Market for just 5 pounds. So the next day, I rush over to Grainger Market during my lunch break to snap up these horticultural delights! For those of you unfamiliar with Grainger Market, it is a geriatric haven. I was the only person there under 75. I even witnessed an old man have a heart attack (this is not a joke: I really saw an old man have a heart attack. He collapsed, then awoke, was breathing horribly, and then started vomiting. Several people helped him, but no one was in the least bit fazed by the incident).

As I was saying, I walk into our flat and I realize that it’s time to prepare dinner. We have recently invested in a grocery box scheme. We used to do a ‘veggie box’ in State College, which would provide an array of seasonal locally grown veggies every week for a set price. But the one here is even better. We use G & S Organics, which provides not just veggies, but meat, milk, fresh-baked bread, and fruit, all organic for just 40 pounds a week. So tonight, I made the most delicious meal with ingredients from our box. First, of course, salad, with fresh lettuce, tomato, cucumber and radishes. Then I cooked up the rest of the lettuce with some frozen peas and some spring onions for a side dish. For the other side, I boiled up some broad beans and mixed in Parmesan and parsley with poached egg. For our main course, I made the absolute most wonderful pork chops ever. I don’t know why these pork chops were so tender- all I know is that I’ve never eaten any as soft. I put a soy sauce, orange, sugar marinade on them, and they came out lovely!

Anyway, so for the rest of the night, I think we’ll just nurse our colds and watch a movie or something. Hope you’re all doing well!

Photos of Our Newcastle Home

A while back we promised to slap some photos of our new abode in Newcastle onto the blog. After two full months as city residents, we feel it is time to share. Here are just a few shots of 7 Breamish Quays from shortly after our arrival. Enjoy...

UK Phrase Confusion

Hello all,
Most of you know that potato chips are called crisps here in England, and that french fries are called chips. But there are many other confusing words and phrases here that most Americans don't know about. I've been compiling a list of words and phrases that mean different things in England than they do in the US. Braudia would like to share them with you.

1. Are you alright?- Here in England 'are you alright?' simply means 'hello'. This was especially confusing for us in the beginning because people kept asking us: Are you alright?, and we kept wondering why we wouldn't be alright. We thought, 'Do we look sick or depressed? Why do people keep asking us if we're alright?' But eventually Braudia learned, though it still kind of throws us off.

2. Us: When I first started working at Social Services, the ladies who worked there would often say: 'Would you do this photocopying for us?' or 'Will you do us a favour?' I would look around the room and wonder who else was 'us' other than the person asking. But then I realised: Us means me. Of course, that's not always the case; sometimes us really means us. And some people don't use 'us' to mean me- they just say me. So you've got to judge the circumstances.

3. Dinner and Tea: This was a real mess. Dinner sometimes means dinner and other times it means lunch, and then tea sometimes means tea and other times it means dinner. I'd hear people say at 12:30pm, "I'm going out for me dinner" and think: 'wow, that's an early dinner,' or hear "This chicken is just left over from last night's tea," and I'd think 'wow, ambitious tea!' But then I realised: different words, same thing. So basically, while in America we say Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, in England, they sometimes call it Breakfast, Dinner, and Tea.

4. Lemonade: oh this is funny. If you want a lemonade in England, you've got to ask for 'Cloudy lemonade' because when you say 'lemonade' you get sprite. So a Pimms and Lemonade is really sprite with Pimms, not actual fresh sqeezed citrus juice.

5. 1st floor and 2nd floor: When you are in a multi-level space, such as a department store, you'll find that there's the basement floor (underground), the ground floor, the First floor above it, the second floor etc. In the States, First floor and ground floor are the same, but in England, first floor is the one above the ground- the first floor up. Needless to say, Braudia got off at the wrong floor several times in those early days.

So now if you travel to England, hopefully knowing these little differences will help you get by just a bit better!

ta-ra!

My Asthmatic Interactions with Marley the Horse

The first day of June, everyone, and it's friggin freezing here in Newcastle. I sure hope summer gets better than this, cuz this is colder than a Miami winter!

Well, even if the temperature doesn't get any toastier, I'm determined to have some summer fun here in Newcastle. This weekend was no exception. On Friday I had my first horse-riding lesson, and on Saturday, Bret and I went to Alnwick Gardens.

After watching several horse racing programs on the telly and planning a trip to the races (June 28 for Plate Day!), I became inspired to attempt some horse-riding antics myself. So I signed up at Stepney Stables for a beginner adult class.

I was told to dress in exercise clothes and not wear trainers, so I put on some sweatpants and some riding style boots, paid my 16 quid, and got ready for my first time on a horse.

Stepney Stables is located just 5 minutes from my flat in the Ouseburn Valley. There is an indoor arena where we take our lessons, and the stables are just next to it. After getting fitted for a hat (a lovely black velvet one), Claire, the instructor called me in. 'Claudia, you're on Marley! Look at the board!'...she was a no-nonsense lady, so I knew I had to be extra alert...

For the beginner's class, little page girls walk with the horses so that we don't get flung off and break our necks. My page girl was Donna. She was about 12 or so, and also 'no-nonsense'. "Idiot!" she'd yell at the horse when he would'nt listen. 'Stop it!!" and smack him on the nose. I suppose one must be rather firm with horses, as they are big and strong. I certainly wanted a well-behaved horse for my first lesson!

After we all got on our horses (there were 5 of us), we started walking slowly around the arena. Little by little, the lesson became more complicated. We started doing rings, telling our horses to change directions, practicing the stop and go. I learned correct posture and how to hold the reigns. As the class went on, I grew more and more confident. I thought, 'wow, I really have a knack for this!' I started envisioning myself with my new Polo Ralph Lauren riding clothes, trotting about on my horse. Despite the large quantities of horse poo and the damp sweaty horse smell in the air, I felt very dignified up there. Surely Claire was impressed...'Claudia, there is no need to cross your reigns!! You are confusing the horse!" Ok, maybe Claire was not terribly impressed...suddenly I felt like an 8 year old girl at Martha Mahr Ballet. This was perfection at all times.

Except Marley was not interested in perfection. He was a beautiful pure white horse- one could imagine him running free on the hillsides, and it seemed that's exactly what he wanted to do...not obey passively in a beginner's riding class. He kept trying to pass the other horses. Needless to say, Donna was yelling 'idiot' every other second. But finally, Marley got a taste of fun when we started trotting! I'm not yet good at going up and down (I was kind of getting bounced around by Marley) but I think I could improve if I had more lessons...however...

As the class continued, I started to feel my breathing get shorter and shorter. Finally, by the end of the class, I was a complete allergic mess! I like to think that I am allergic to the mould and spores let out from the hay and NOT horses, but for the sake of my lungs, I will not try riding at Stepney again and wait until I can take a lesson outdoors.

The next morning, still feeling woozy from all the allergy medicine that I ingested, Bret and I set out to Alnwick Gardens, just a 30 min train ride from Newcastle. While it was a bit of a mission getting there due to a shortage of buses from the Alnmouth trainstation and the Gardens, the wait was worth it. The gardens are amazing! There are spitting fountains, there's a bamboo labyrinth, a rose garden with 300 different kinds of roses, an ornamental garden, and a poison garden with hemlock, cocaine plants, weed, belladonna, and other assorted recreational drugs and dangerous killer plants. Bret and I have grown inspired to one day have a beautiful garden of our own, which will include not only fruits and veggies, but lots of fragrant, dramatic buds. My personal faves were the Marjorie vine, High Noons, and the Concha vine. After learning all about flowers, we headed back home where I made a whole chicken roasted in cider with lettuce and cream, and a side of rich mashed potatoes!

Bath bomb, bath bomb, you’re my bath bomb…

While it was Memorial Weekend in the US, we here in the UK had a ‘Bank Holiday’…which literally means the banks close and people hit the streets for some fun.

Of course, most Americans hit the beaches...we here in chilly NE England hit the pub…

Well, most of the time, at least. Actually, this weekend, we had quite a diverse range of fun. Our excitement started on Friday evening, when we all went to our friend Rob’s house for delicious bbq, whisky, cigars, and some exciting poker. It was my first time playing poker, and I’m happy to say that I won a few times. We each put £5, and I left with £1.50 2 hours after we started playing, so not too shabby, I think. The experience was complete: Rob even played some American Blues in the background…I felt like a drunken Sea Captain trying to make a few extra dabloons on the side…or something equally sleazy…it was great!

On Saturday, after a tormenting trip to the taylor’s (the Adolfo Dominguez dress my mum got me doesn’t fit!- my ribs are too fat), Bret and I went on a neighbourhood adventure. We found a geocache in Ouseburn, then went to The Cumberland Arms in Byker where I had a half pint of cider, and then we took a stroll ‘round the beautiful park nearby. I cooked a simple pasta dinner with Red Pepper/Limoncello sauce, and we headed out to the newly refurbished Tyneside Cinema to see Persepolis. The cinema is fantastic- gorgeous interiors, two bar/cafés, and excellent indie movies. Persepolis was funny and sad and interesting, though the beginning was a bit hard to follow with all the Iranian politics…

On Sunday, Bret and I started the morning in the Quayside Market, where we got tshirts, vine leaves, and good smelling bath bombs. After our decadent purchasing, we headed over to the gym, and I did the workout my personal trainer gives me (a tough 1 hour with 20 minutes floor/arm work, 20 minutes cross trainer on level 6 Kilimanjaro, and 20 minutes little elliptical on level 8 cardio) while Bret did some horrible, killer exercises. To replenish ourselves, we had lunch at the Royal Café- me a delicious celery/carrot/ginger juice and Chicken terrine with red pepper chutney and Bret a salmon/egg bagel.

Finally on Monday, we had the most exciting day of all: we went to the Northumbria County Show in Corbridge. The town is a half hour train ride from Newcastle, very beautiful with lots of trails surrounding. Because it was an unusually gorgeous day, the festival was packed! Almost everyone had a dog and/or baby with them. Needless to say, my cuteness cup got full pretty fast. And I haven’t even mentioned the actual show animals yet. We saw bunnies, horses, cows, alpacas, and sheep. I discovered that cows are skittish and slobber a lot. When I would pet them, they would often whip me with their tails (I think they noticed I was wearing a leather jacket- I know, how insensitive of me!). The alpacas were very soft and fairly friendly. And the sheep (poor sheep) were being sheared at record speeds. There was an ongoing sheep shearing competition, truly amazing to watch, in which men had to shear 5 sheep in under 5 minutes. After we saw a contest, we went round back to take a closer look at the sheep. The furry ones were quiet, but the sheared ones were baaing non-stop. They had lots of nicks from the shearing, some looked half-slaughtered to be honest, but overall, the shearers really did a great job. After 5 hours, we felt we were animalled-out and we headed back to Newcastle for some of Bret’s amazing chorizo chicken and lemon asparagus.

The Late Shows

Hello everyone. Well Bret and I have settled into Newcastle quite well. Even though we live a bit outside city centre, we live in the arts quarter called Ouseburn Valley (think Miami's Design District, minus the prostitutes and robberies) so there are lots of cool pubs and art galleries nearby. Bret goes into work 2-3 times a week, and works from home the other days. I'm about to finish my third temp job (it's a bohemian life, indeed). I've got 2 interviews lined up, but if they prove unsuccessful, I'll simply temp part-time, so I can write more.

Anyway, so as I was saying, living in Newcastle has proven to be quite good for our social lives. There are always lots of events, festivals, shows, and there are lots of restaurants to try. Last weekend was particularly fun because we went to a shindig called The Late Shows. It's a yearly event in which all the museums and art galleries stay open until 11 pm. There is free wine, a free bus service taking you to the next gallery, and there's no cover charge.

Bret and I started the nite with our friends at Nancy's Bordello, an artsy gastro-pub with fab decor and lots of plants. We had ordinary pub food, but it was pretty tasty. Full and happy, we headed off to our first stop on the art tour: The Biscuit Factory. I had frequently seen signs for this place, but I had not bothered to investigate as I thought it was literally a place where biscuits were made.

However, as I soon found out, this was not Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! The Biscuit Factory is a wonderful large art gallery with lots of contemporary art work on display and for sale. I'm really into knit decor right now (I have a thick wool crysanthemum in my house) so I was particularly drawn to the cashmere cupcakes and cashmere bonbons. But there was also lots of wall art as well. I loved the thickly textured, brightly coloured acrylic still lifes, the primitive story-book farm scapes, and one artist's glittery weaved hens with their baby chicks.

Our next stop was Art Works, just a few blocks away. There we viewed more interesting contemporary stuff, but we were starting to feel the sensory overload. So, we opted for a switch: the science museum!

The Life Centre is a large museum, usually packed with small, snotty children. But for one nite, the children were asleep, and it was the adults that came to play. And what fun we had! We went through numerous exhibits about the arctic, world population, ageing, stem cells, the science of motion, and nutrition. Bret really wanted to see an astronaut special with Ewan McGregor, but we were too late.

To end the nite, we decided that we should head over to Jazz Cafe and wind it down with a sexy cocktail and some smooth tunes. But there was a cover charge, so unfortunately, we had to settle for an old unglamourous pub called Rafferty's. After our beers and ciders, Braudia parted ways from the others and headed home for a cosy nite of sleep...

Second Class Citizens

Well folks, in case we haven't reminded you enough, England is a very expensive country. Everything is much pricier here, making it quite difficult to enjoy the things that middle class americans take for granted. Restaurants are terribly costly, the taxes are horrible (especially the local ones, uuugggghhhh), and rent is through the roof. We are undoubtedly, second class citizens. Despite what would be an extremely comfortable salary in the US, Braudia lives paycheck to paycheck, trying to make ends meet.

But if that's not bad enough, we get constant reminders of our second classness, so to speak. For example, the train. In every train, there is a first class car, while the rest are 'second class.' Further, in the stations, there is frequently a 'First Class Lounge' which us untouchables cannot contaminate. I find this all quite weird. Class is a big deal here in the UK, bigger than it is in America. Braudia does not fully understand the concept of 'poshness,' which we vaguely assume to be wealth, but not really because it seems there is an arrogant attitude that goes along with it. On the flip-side, you've got 'chavs'...which we have been told is something like 'white trash'...which brings me to my tale...

When I first arrived in the UK, I had very little clothes, as I could only bring 2 suitcases weighing 49 lbs each. So, first on my list, was to get some exercise clothes, as it was quite cold and I wanted to go jogging.

So I bought a Lonsdale tracksuit.

Lonsdale is a common brand that I had seen around quite a bit. The tracksuit was cheap and baby blue, so I was quite pleased with my buy.

But as I wore it more and more, I noticed that people were looking at me a bit funnily. I wasn't sure why, but I started noticing people's clothing. You see, if you go work out in England, you change out of your clothes immediately after you finish. You do not walk around in a tracksuit, unless...

I started to notice the kinds of people who did walk around in Lonsdale tracksuits. girls with huge hoop earrings, girls with bad English, pregnant girls smoking and drinking beer, girls who couldn't be more than 17 pushing strollers...

Finally, I learned- I was wearing the chav uniform! Wearing workout clothes in England does not mean you work out, it means you live in a Council House!!!

I have stopped wearing my Lonsdale tracksuit out in public. Going out in 'scrubby clothes' has a lot more significance here than it does in the US!

LL part deux

So Saturday I had my monthly book club, and I couldn't go out to the museums with LL. Bret took them to the Discovery Museum to learn about Newcastle history, and then to the Laing Art Gallery (which I had recently gone to). It was a gorgeous day (yet again!! where are we, California?) and I got so hot, I had to give my Uggs to a Charity shop and buy sandals! I got home just in time to catch the horse races. Inspired by their fierce speed, I decided to go out for a jog- in shorts! But as you might imagine, one a beautiful Saturday afternoon, what would Brits be doing but...drum roll please....sitting out drinking! Needless to say, I was extremely out of place jogging while the rest of the country drank themselves to a stupor. But I knew I had to put in a bit of jogging, cuz Bret was preparing a hearty dinner of lamb shank, and I do not want to get portly.
Anyway, so when I returned, Bret was covered in blood. Ok, maybe not, but he might as well have been cuz, as it turns out, Tesco gave us something like 'Sheep's ribs and hips', rather than lamb shank. Bret was very disappointed he could not fit the slab of meat anywhere, so he threw it away and we bought pork steaks instead. His meal was quite delicious despite the impromptu preparation.

The next day, we all headed over to the Quayside market to sample the sundry items. There were more winkles and whelks, purses, books, and decorations. I bought some sweets, a torquoise wool pin and some lavender 'bath bombs'- fizzy good-smelling things that you put in the bath. We also stuffed ourselves with freshly fried sugar doughnuts and German Brats.
After moseying around a bit more, watching the boat races, and checking out a very weak exhibit in the Baltic Museum, we decided it would be best to head over to South Shields and check out the coast. Amazingly, it was like 15 degrees colder there, veeerrrrry foggy, and cloudy. So we cut the beach time short, and played some put put golf. Larry was the best, and Braudia needs to practice. Linda just took pics. Frozen from our putting, we opted for some world famous South Shields Indian, which we discovered is delicious and extremely affordable.

For our final day of fun, Bret and I took LL to see Jesmond, a leafy suburb of Newcastle, and Beamish, the historical outdoor museum (and my personal fave!).
Jesmond seems like a lovely place to live (if you have a car). There are posh boutiques, upscale restaurants, and old homes with lots of potential. Best of all, it's quite lush. But after meandering quite a bit through the shops and eating a lovely Italian meal, we decided to take a bus outside of Newcastle and experience the much talked-about town of Beamish.

Let me tell you, this is the cutest place in the world. first of all, there are lots and lots of big trees and thickly forested trails. This is very rare for England, and we were amazed to find such a fresh-air haven. Secondly, there is a 'museum' there. It's basically a giant outdoor space broken off into eras. You just walk or tram to the different times- the first a typical home from 1825, complete with people dressed up in period clothing, rabbits hanging from the ceiling, candles, old books- the works. There were horses that you could pet, a gross massive hog, geese- everything. We saw both a middle-upper class house, and a lower-middle class house. It was just incredible to see how today, even a poor person lives so much better than a rich person lived back then. Fascinating...

Our next stop was the 1913 town. Again, amazing! There was a grocery store, a freemason's lodge, an old Barclay's bank. Best of all, we got to see inside typical homes of the period. We saw the decor, baby high chairs, a bathroom, a dentist office. I was amazed...

But the best part was going to the 'home farm' of 1913. Here I got to pet baby lambs! I wanted to see inside the farmhouse, but it was already time to go...exhausted, we went back to Newcastle, had all you can eat Mongolian, and rested the night away...

Fun with Larry and Linda part 1

Bret's parents arrived in Newcastle last Wednesday, and we had them running up and down the Northeast. Here's what we did:

Wednesday:
After an exhausting 5 million hour flight, Linda and Larry (hereon after referred to as LL) arrived in the sunny, yes sunny, city of Newcastle. In order to ensure that they did not sneak any naps, Bret walked around with them all over Newcastle. I was at work, so I couldn't join in the fun. But I met up with the crew for dinner at the Slug and Lettuce where LL ordered traditional British fare: Linda fish pie and Larry steak pie. Bret and I, having already sampled Brit gastronomical goodness, opted for Duck and Lasagne.

Thursday:
Another day of work for me, while LL and Bret headed into the quaint city of Durham. From what I heard, the weather was in the 70s, and the sun was shining bright. Bret told me that in the Spring, Durham gets really 'cutified' with all the flowers and outdoor sitting areas. While they walked, Bret continued the education that he had started the previous day. Linda wrote down all the unusual words: toilet (not restroom), swede (not turnip), way out (not exit). They had a traditional pub lunch, walked around some more, and then came back on the train to Newcastle. I joined them for a delicious dinner at The Big Mussel where Bret had mussels for the starter, while we had the crab and 'cado, and Linda and I had Salmon, while Bret and Larry had chorizo stew.

Friday:
Finally, I get to enjoy the gorgeous days because I opted to take 'holidays' on Friday and Monday and party with LL. Though the weather was beautiful, we decided that going to the Metrocentre was a must-do. Bret and Larry went to the bookshops, so that Linda and I could hit the clothing stores. We started at the department store House of Fraser, where I got a bohemian hot pink blouse for just 10 quid! Then we hit the high street shops, but we found Zara's to be the best one at the moment. However, the gorgeous floral tops were a bit over my temp salary budget, and so I just got a cute shirt for 6 quid.
For lunch, we remet the gents for a tasty meal in the Debenhams food court. Most of us had the lamb shank (so good, fell right off the bone), and Linda had the Leak/ham/chicken pie (also very good). Exhausted from all the shopping, we headed back into city centre to check out the Grainger Market. Bret and I tried some winkles from the seafood section (they're little snails), which we thought were quite delish. We have discovered that they sell these funny little critters in all the outdoor markets, so next time, I'll definitely grab a batch. For dinner, I cooked a lentil soup with butternut squash and some creamy pasta with asparagus and ham. We finished off the evening with a challenging game of Carcassone.

link farm

Hello all,
I thought you might want to check out some websites that I have found interesting.

Humour:

Funniest fake news ever
www.theonion.com

Crack up stupidly with these anthropomorphized cats
www.thelolcats.com

Aesthetics:

Cheap, stylish, good
www.ikea.co.uk

High fashion at low prices
www.zara.com

My fave scents
www.penhaligons.co.uk

spend hours looking at interior decorating ideas
www.hgtv.com

Life:

Great way to keep your legacy alive
www.whenwordsmatter.com

Useful advice for anyone
www.quickmba.com/mgmt/7hab/

Just fun news
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032633/

You won't believe it, but it's true!
www.newsoftheweird.com

Get cultured, get literary
www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html

Edinburgh (pron: edinburuh…go figure)

Newcastle is just a 1.5 hour train ride from the wonderful Scottish city of Edinburgh. So yesterday, Bret and I decided to head on up to the lowlands to experience the much talked-about city. And we had a great time…

The fun started at Harvey Nichols. Well, my fun, rather. Harvey Nichols is a very expensive, very haute couture department store. There is a doorman. There are Balienciaga handbags, there are 800 pound Chloe dresses. It’s the kind of place where you go to a ‘Champagne Nail Bar’ to..surprise surprise…get your nails done by thin asian woman who serve you champagne. It’s the kind of place where an eye brow shape costs 30 pounds. It’s the kind of place where you see many people looking and few people buying. Being a shop assistant at Harvey Nichols has got to be the most boring job.

But being a browser was great, as I said, for me…you see, Bret is the kind of shopper that likes to buy. If he can’t afford it, it’s no fun. I’m the kind of shopper that likes to see and touch. And for me, ‘shopping’ at Harvey Nichols is like going to an art gallery. The colours and designs fascinate me. I know I would never have an occasion to wear a Moschino 2 piece suit, nor would I even care to really, but I admire the craftsmanship of the clothing. Bret sees a Moschino suit, and he thinks stiff and asexual. Fair enough. I see his point. Needless to say, I had an impatient, huffing man reluctantly trailing behind me, until I realised that the poor man had had enough, and we should do something we could both enjoy: eat!

So Bret’s fun started when we went to the Underground Café and had our first (and only) traditional Scottish breakfast. It’s the same as the English Breakfast, but somehow much much better. The mushrooms were a little fresher, the egg a little yolkier, the bread tasted homemade, and the sausages were meatier. Satisfied by our meal, we decided to take in a bit of culture at the National Museum of Scotland. It was very lively with people of all ages! Musicians played their violins as gentlemen with tophats paraded the museum atrium. While there, we saw exhibitions on British animals, Ancient Egypt, the Instruments of Science, transportation throughout the ages, and typical rooms of the 19th and 20th Century. I was surprised that a typical room from ‘The Swinging Sixties’ looks like a typical room at IKEA, complete with paper lantern. I also really loved the 1 person 3 wheel car.

But we still hadn’t gotten to the truly Scottish bit of our trip: whisky and haggis. So we strolled down the Royal Mile (very fun, busy touristy pedestrian street in Old Town Edinburgh) and went into the Edinburgh Scotch Whisky Experience to learn the subtleties of fine whisky. We started off with a 10 year Auchentushan, which is a lowlands whisky and known to be quite easy to drink. According to the menu, it was sweet with a hint of tangerine and toffee, but Braudia could not detect such undertones. After, we had a highlands whisky, Ben Nevis 10 year. We noted that it was, indeed, quite smokey. But again, we could not detect the supposed ‘chocolate’ flavours in the drink. Feeling like we had had enough hard drink, we opted for a whisky liquor to finish our session. We chose the Lochan Ora, made with aniseed. This was undoubtedly the most delicious of the three!

3 whiskies and a good buzz later, we decided no trip to Scotland would be complete without first tasting the famous meal: haggis. Haggis sounds absolutely disgusting: it’s ground meat mixed with oatmeal. It is usually served with a rich whisky gravy and ‘neeps and tatties’ (turnips and potatoes). Our only problem was that it was 3pm: not lunch time and not dinner time. First we tried the Stac Polly, which 2 Scots recommended to us. But it was closed. We then went from pub to pub, restaurant to restaurant for about 1 hour. Until finally we found a nice restaurant which served it. And believe it or not, it’s delicious! Only thing is, you kind of feel like you should be toothless, cuz the food doesn’t require any chewing. Oh well, the swallowing was very satisfying…

Post whisky and post haggis, we knew we needed to take a little rest before we hit the shops for some actual buying. Luckily the sun was shining and it was about 60 degrees. Bret and I threw ourselves on the grass for a good half hour and for the first time in many months, actually enjoyed the weather. Half an hour later, feeling refreshed, we hit Prince’s Street for some good ole fashioned credit card swiping. Bret got two shirts at H&M and a pair of very nice walking shoes at Jenners of Edinburgh. I got some body wash at LUSH and some perfume from Penhaligon’s (the company that supplied our toiletries at the Mandarin on our wedding nite!). And with that, we hopped back on the train and headed back to Newcastle.

a paycheck a click away!

Well folks,
I have sold my soul to the devil- my blog now generates income. Every time you click on an ad, I get like a buck or something. So click away!
Because I am trying to make a few extra bones, I'd put up a slightly anachronistic blog entry: the atrocious rental. I had actually written that one long ago when we were at Coronation House. So to clear up any confusion, "How to decorate an atrocious rental" does not pertain to our new home (as you will soon find out).

Now, on to bigger and better. Bret and I have had our first proper Newcastle weekend- and it was fab.

The fun started on Thursday when the Durham kids came into the toon for some dinner and a gig. About 8 of us went to "A Taste of Persia," and what a taste it was! I had a glorious lamb shank that fell right off the bone. The waitress told me I looked Persian, which made me feel very exotic indeed!

After our meal, we had some drinks at Rendez Vous, which is a new very colourful bar. I do not recommend it, though, because they do not have much selection. We were, in fact, planning on hitting The Long Bar, but apparently, there was a gang fight, so they temporarily closed it down.

To end our night, we went to the Academy and listened to Passenger, who played a very good show.

On Friday, we were planning on hitting the Ouseburn pubs, but it was raining very hard and I had 'homework' to do. You see, I lead a monthly book group, and I hadn't finished the book! So I had to stay in and read, but it was a nice change for a usual Friday nite.

On Saturday after my book group and a bit of shopping (usual pasttime here in the city- too much temptation), Bret and I made a simple pasta dinner with fennel salad. Then we walked over to the movie theatre. We had forgotten that going to the movies in England is a wee different than it is in the US. In the US, Bret and I like to check out what time the movie is playing, then if we have some time, we go to the bookstore and browse and then go to our movie. But here in the UK, bookstores close at 5, so while you wait for the movie, the only thing to do is drink. This is not convenient, because drinking makes us sleepy. We were really missing our Barnes and Noble days while we sipped our gin and tonics, but after walking around a bit, we discovered a lovely tea house open late and had some herbal infusions. Finally, it was time for our movie: 21. It was really entertaining! Spacey plays an excellent villain, Bosworth looks beautiful, and the main actor does a really great job.

But Sunday was the most fun because we started our new gym! It is amazing and really cheap. Just 44 pounds a month for our joint membership (which is excellent round here). And the gym is huge. It's in the shopping district of city centre, in a mall called Eldon Square. There is tons of equipment, lots of fun classes, courts, and we even get access to the pool! Bret lifted weights while I did a 'tone and stretch' class. I am now so sore from not working out in 5 months! But it's gonna be great.

That nite, we ate at Eye on the Tyne, a very nice restaurant with ok food. The rain had finally ceased and the river was like glass. After dinner, we walked around in the peaceful dusk, and went home to curled up on our couches with our Horlick's chocolate malts. We watched Brick, which I got from our blockbuster delivery service. Good times...

How to Decorate an Atrocious Rental

How to Decorate an Atrocious Rental
By Claudia Vilato

With the housing market ever more uncertain, more of us are holding off on the mortgage and opting for the rental. But what’s out there isn’t always new, modern, or sleek. Let’s face it, for some of us, home is a 70s shag carpet with green walls, pink sponged doors, and blinking fluorescent lights. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your dump- I mean digs.

1. Work out the layout: Nurture your inner designer and make a bird’s eye view plan of each room to create your furniture layout. Take measurements and get large furniture items in the room first. Then work out the accessories.
2. Say No to Hodge-podge: If you’ve already got a gnarly home or apartment, don’t make it worse by loading up the room with mismatched furniture. Your grandmother’s 19th Century vanity does not match your white Ikea bed. Keep it consistent to create a mood to the room.
3. Simplicity is key: Start collecting knick-knacks and your home will start to look like a lion’s den. De-cluttering is the name of the game.
4. Develop your green thumb: Kiss your plant-phobia good-bye! Nothing enlivens a room more than a little Mother Nature in the home. Ferns, flowers, and potted shrubs not only improve indoor air quality, but fill up awkward or dull spaces. Vases with fresh-cut flowers or long-lasting cuttings like bamboo or eucalyptus also refresh a dingy room. Take a look at the lighting of each room, and choose your plants accordingly. Oh, and don’t forget to water.
5. Lights!: Nothing ruins a space more than dreary lighting. And in a rental, you can get stuck with some pretty horrendous illumination. So try to get floor lamps or table lamps whenever possible. Paper lanterns are a cheap and lovely, and if you can change the ceiling lights, go for track lights, down lights, or dimmers. Sexy and stylish should be your motto.
6. Clever cover-ups: We’ve all had to deal with it: the furnished rental. Why they so often choose couches and tables circa 1950 is beyond comprehension, but they do, and we’re stuck with ‘em. Do not just get an old sheet to cover up the furniture. Get proper couch and chair coverings. It will make all the difference. And if your dining room table displays a collage of fossilised macaroni, a funky mod tablecloth should do the trick.
7. Wall art: Ok, I know what you’re thinking, “If I had 500 pounds to spend, I wouldn’t be in this hole.” But art doesn’t have to be expensive. Clearance stores like the Gift Shop often have fresh canvassed photography for just 5-10 pounds. Second-hand art books can also provide some fantastic designs. And if the muses pay you a visit, a few deliberate paint splatters on a blank canvas sheet would make a great cover-up for that mould-infested hole in the wall.
8. Area rugs: They define space, add colour, and double up as great yoga mats. Place squarely in front of a couch, or at an angle to add interest to a bland room. Make sure it’s stain-free and vacuumed often.
9. Good smells: Ok, so you’re done with your décor, and you’ve transformed your ugly duckling of a home into an elegant swan. But the previous tenants smoked, had 3 cats, 4 dogs, and a cage of exotic birds. So what to do about foul odours? If you’ve got a carpet, get it steam-cleaned immediately. Wash the walls, vacuum with neutralizing powder, and light up your incense. No matter how beautiful your home, if it smells like a farm, you won’t have many visitors.
10. Don’t forget to tidy: I know, this is more a matter of discipline than design. But you shouldn’t neglect to give every room a good scrubbing at least once a week, kitchen and bath twice a week. To save money, buy an all-purpose cleaner which can be used on floors, surfaces, in tubs and toilets. If you’ve got a lot of stuff thrown about, buy organisers and wardrobe drawers. Oh, and just because your mom doesn’t nag you about it anymore doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pick up your clothes off the floor.

Braudia's 2nd Home Together

We have finally done it: left Coronation House in Durham and moved to a nice, new flat in Newcastle. We rented a Peugeot station wagon for 3 days and drove back and forth all weekend in the snow. Yes, you read it correctly: snow! It's mid-April here in the UK, and there are still snowstorms. The weather hasn't changed much since we got here, and we're getting tired of this 7 month winter...but I digress, let me tell you about our new house.

We live about 1 mile away from the train station, in a quiet neighbourhood between the Quayside (party district) and Ouseburn (art district). We looked at many very nice flats, but most were too small. Finally, we found a 2 bedroom for the same price that we're paying now. It's a remodelled/furnished 2 bedroom/1 bath with hardwood floors, white walls, a green accent wall, and very efficient heating.

As you walk through the door, you see a hallway with several doors. The first door to the right is the bedroom. It has one window with vertical blinds (would have never chosen them, but hey, can't win em all) and natural wood furnishings. We have 2 wardrobes in there (no closets- damn Brits!) which we have filled with very effective storage from Ikea, a double bed, and nightstands on each side.

The bathroom is across from the bedroom. We took down the 'half-glass' shower door that was on the tub and hung up our shower curtain. For those of you who do not know, Europeans are very fond of the 'half-glass' shower door. It is the stupidest invention every because it doesn't prevent water from splashing outside of the shower. It also collects mildew. It also falls off sometimes. It is shit. Anyway, so we put up a normal shower curtain and bought a glass cabinet for our toiletries. Now our bathroom is virtually clutter-free.

As you continue down the hall (very nicely lit by a track light), to the right, you will find another door- the office. We are still waiting on James, the estate agent to remove some of the landlord's crap from the flat, including an extra bed, so this room has not been finished yet. All we can say is that it will have two desks, computers, and a bookshelf.

Finally, at the end of the hall, you reach the Living/dining/kitchen. It is all one room, but we have sectioned off the furniture in an L shape to create a living room/tv room nook. The couches are very dark leather and very nice. There is a large window which faces the church (its bell rings every hour, which sometimes wakes me up at 4am!). As in all European churches, there are a few dead people buried on the grounds. Unlike in the US, it is not freaky here to be living next to a 'cemetary' because they are everywhere. Even playgrounds are built on cemetaries (I suppose for some this might conjure up beautiful 'circle of life' imagery- new life and death coexisting peacefully- not so much for me, but I'm now used to it). We also get a small view of the river and the Millenium Bridge- which is super cool when lit up at night.

Finally, our kitchen is quite spacious. Our fridge is hidden in one cabinet and our freezer in another. We also have a washer/'dryer' hidden in a third. I put quotes around dryer because it sucks. It doesn't have an air vent, so it semi-dries. It also takes about 3 hours to wash, so we need to work on that.

Anyway, pictures are forthcoming. We must get the office done!

Easter Ireland

Bret and I have just returned from a fabulous trip to Ireland. Even though we’ve already been to Dublin, we decided to go back because our friend Tom was going to be there with his rugby team. So we booked ourselves a cheap flight and a cheap hotel, and headed out.

We had great plans in store- party with Tom, hit the Irish pubs, go to the zoo, and shop. However, our plans went slightly awry. First, Tom’s rugby schedule changed- we originally planned on meeting in Dublin, but Tom’s team was actually scheduled to play in Limerick- on the other side of the country. So instead of partying with Tom in Dublin, we decided to take a 2.5 hour train ride to Limerick and have some drinks with him there. Though not heavy drinkers, Bret and I especially appreciated these drinks because the night before was Good Friday, and it is, as we learned, the one and only day out the year when the Irish do not drink. All the pubs were closed because it is, in fact, illegal to sell alcohol on Good Friday. So on this holy of holy days, we simply had a meal at a cafe, bought some roasted broad beans at a posh food store and watched Runaway Jury on the tele.

After a womderful night’s rest, we woke up to the crisp, sunny skies of Dublin. The hotel itself, the Camden De Luxe, was absolutely atrocious on the outside. It had these bars in the front, a dark little side entrance, and an old smokey lobby. Surprisingly however, the rooms were quite nice. Very simple (and surely the top comforter came from a charity shop, as it was covered in cigarette holes), but fairly clean and very comfortable. Best of all, it was right in the centre of town, just a 5 minute walk to Temple Bar- the hot area in Dublin. Dublin is a very vibrant city. There are lots of cool cafes, coffee shops, and international restaurants. In fact, for breakfast, we went to a Hungarian café- though funnily enough, we had full Irish breakfasts there. After our tasty morning meals, we hit Grafton Street for some quality Irish shopping. Bret bought some jeans at Dunnes Stores and I got a pair of super cute red shoes at Korky’s. After our hard work of spending, we replenished ourselves with fresh-made juice from a vegetarian café, and hit the train station to get to Limerick.

Limerick is not a cool town. It’s on a river, and there are a few nice shops, but it lacks the color and diversity that are so prevalent in Dublin and Galway. However, catching up with Tom was fun. We had our Easter Saturday drinks, and then went ate dinner at Rosie O’Grady’s. I had a very low-fat meal of traditional bacon and cabbage with mash and bechamel sauce, Bret had some funny-named Irish chicken, and Tom had duck. Feeling like we had had enough of ‘Stab City’ (as Limerick is so affectionately called by the Dubs to the East) we headed back to Dublin for a night out on the town.

Temple Bar was absolutely manic! The bars were so full, people had to congregate out on the cobble streets. Each pub has a different color façade, and they are all very well-lit. There are street performers, live bands, and wonderful food smells in the air. Bret and I were trying to find a comedy club, but we settled for Kiwi ice cream and hot chocolates instead.

On Easter Sunday, we reluctantly headed back to England. But we have lots of travel plans coming up:
1. Edinburgh in April
2. Amsterdam in June
3. London/Cambridge in July
4. Austria/Germany in October
5. Miami/Iowa/California for the holidays

A Week in the Life of Braudia

We have comfortably settled into a routine here in Northeast England, so we figured it was time you heard about a typical week in the life of Braudia.

During the weekdays, the fun begins at 8am. That's when our alarm goes off and we get up. We head down for breakfast and watch "Wild Tales" or rather I, Claudia, watch Wild Tales. It's a kid's show about baby animals. I know, a bit juvenile, but they are so cute, and the stories are done really well! Once that's over, we watch a bit of the news and the weather. 'Round here, the weatherman always says more or less the same thing: "Another miserable day in the Northeast" or "It's absolutely horrible out there" or "It's going to be a bitter 2 degrees (celsius) out there"...it's funny cuz the weather isn't great, but it's not "horrible" or "miserable" all the time. It's just kind of blah, but the weather people make it out to be a daily drama. I guess we all need to have our fun, somehow...

Around 8:45, Bret and I head out on foot or on our bikes into work. We both work close to home, so we don't need to take any buses or anything. While at work, I just do my typing, photocopying, enveloping, etc, and Bret researches, plots graphs, and advises Astronomy students. Bret has two communal coffee breaks during the day where he gets to chat with other astronomers. During my work, I listen to music and podcasts (cuz my job is so easy!). Tuesdays are my favourite days, because I get to listen to my "60 minutes" podcast and "This American Life" podcast. Sometimes I also listen to "Left, Right, and Center" but I prefer the other two.

I get a one hour lunch break in which I leave the social services building and run errands around town. On Tuesdays or Wednesdays, I buy fruits and veggies at the local stand. Sometimes I go to the library to check my email (we're not allowed to access hotmail at work) or check out cds and dvds. Other times, I buy toiletries at Boots, the main British super-pharmacy.

At 5pm, I begin my trek back up the hill to our home. Bret and I split the cooking days, but roughly, he cooks 3 days and I cook 3 days, then we eat dinner out one of those days. We make really nice meals! Sometimes we do an all day crockpot (pork and stews are really good for this). Other times, we do whole chickens. These are great because they are cheap and we get lots of meat out of them. We eat lots of lamb, and I love making duck. We do not eat beef anymore because British beef is less than delicious. We have seafood one a week, and sometimes we have a high protein vegetarian meal, like tofu or mixed bean soup. I also like to make fancy salads and cut up fresh fruit. Oh, and we also eat lots of chocolate gateau for dessert!

Anyway, our grocery day is usually Monday or Tuesday, but we do not go to the store because we do not have a car. Instead, we get our groceries delivered from Tesco. We just go online and pick out the food we want, then pay an extra 4 pounds for delivery. We choose a time slot (say between 9am and 11am on Tuesday), and the tesco man brings the groceries to the door. I miss browsing through the aisles, but this is ultra convenient for us. On Sundays, we plan our week's meals, buy our stuff, and make it throughout the week.

Anyway, so after dinner, we do the dishes. We do not have a dishwasher, so we have a system, which is usually Bret washing and me drying and putting away. It's actually not too bad because we put on fun music and I drink a glass of wine while Bret drinks a beer. Then we either play a boardgame (I know, we are dorks, but they are so much fun!) or watch a movie and wind down.

The weekends are a bit different. On Friday nights, the astronomy department goes out to the pubs, and I meet up with them. It's lots of fun cuz I drink my ginger beer + whisky and then we all eat out at a restaurant or something. Saturdays and Sundays, we have little adventures. We might go shopping or go into Newcastle. This coming Saturday, we are renting out first car and going to the Kielder Forest in Northumbria! Bret often works out on the weekends, too, and I do a bit of writing. And of course, there's cleaning the house and doing laundry (again, music is key to making this a 'fun' activity) We love hanging out with people, inviting them over, and going to the movies. And we are super excited for the milder weather to come so we can have picnics and Bret can teach me soccer, I mean football!

So as you can see, we've got a nice steady life. We'd love to meet more friends (and I'd love a more challenging job), but we have our good times, given our limited means!

The Boxer Rebellion's Tight Tunes

The crowd screamed “More, More!” as The Boxer Rebellion finished their short, but super sweet set at Fibbers nightclub in York last Friday. Their performance was part of a quick UK tour which coincides with the release of their new single “Evacuate.”

Their mainstream indie sound has been compared to The Verve and Radiohead, and it wouldn’t be surprising if these angsty introverts made it to the top. Sexy singer Nathan Nicholson crooned passionately, complete with twitching limbs and tragic eyes. Bassist Adam and guitarist Todd strummed with focused intensity, and drummer Piers held a strong, steady beat throughout the show.

They met through a message board back in 2001 and got together in London. Adam and Piers hail from the UK, but Todd comes from Australia, and Nathan comes from the Southern United States. Despite their cross-continental origins, they are yet to gain popularity across the pond and beyond. But if they continue performing like they did on Friday, that is sure to change.

Their first and only full-length album, Exits, was released in May 2005. They are not sure when they will release their next, but they featured some strong new hits, the most memorable being “Flashing Red Light Means Go,” with powerful drum beats and variable melodies. A few old favourites pleased the crowd, too, especially the dramatic lament “We Have This Place Surrounded.”

Download “Exits” now. We’re sure you’ll be screaming “More, More,” too.