apparently, I am supposed to write a new blog a couple of times a week. you know why? because I am not working anymore and have plenty of times to myself during the week. hmm, see I thought that since I no longer work and live with my hubby I would not have to write blogs any more, but apparently I was wrong, because my hubby thinks otherwise.
so, here I am, sitting and wondering when did this 'blogging' turn to be one of my chores? huh? isn't blogging supposed to be something fun, something for people to do if they wish so? i don't mind writing blogs sometimes, but most of the time now I prefer to sleep in and watch movies and cook for my husband, with occasional trips to London and shopping mall and to the restaurants.
but my hubby keeps nagging me about new blogs all the time. he tells me what i can write blogs about and how often i should do it. I wish that he could just write them for me since he is so excited about them.
on that note, I might post a couple of entries this or next week, but it just amuses me that he is so particular about the frequency of new blogs appearing on my site.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Cooking...
oh, you don't even know how much cooking I have been doing since I moved to UK. While I was in the states, I tried cooking during the weekends, but since Matt was gone travelling for work most weeks, it was fun to go out during the weekends. And since Matt wanted to catch up and visit some of our friends, most of the weekends we ended up going out.
When I was in Russia I used to cook on occasion for my sister and me, but that happened more so towards the beginning of my stay in russia (fall, winter 2007-2008), back then I cooked fish and lots of time breakfasts. Since my sister and I both ate lunch while at work, and we did not get home at the same time in the evening, I used to skip dinner, so most of the time there was no need to cook. Towards the end I was so tired and not motivated that cooking was on the bottom of my priorities, on top were things like sleeping and working. Although I always enjoyed making pasta during the weekend, so my sister and I could sit down and have a decent meal with some white wine. Like I said that happened rather seldom.
However, since I moved to UK I have picked up cooking quite a bit. Matt and I go out once a week, usually. Matt makes about one meal during the week, but the rest is on me. Of course, I don't cook breakfast. Matt leaves for work when I am still snoozing, and he is nice enough not to wake me up and make me cook breakfast for him. So, dinners are on me most of the time, but I don't really mind that. I am getting quite used to coming up with different things to cook. I enjoy the process of cooking, mixing all the ingredients together and the smell is always good. I have yet to make a meal that we did not like, although I am sure we will stumble upon such experience sooner or later. I get to make a menu ahead of time, figure out what ingredients I need, then it's grocery shoping time. We usually get enough stuff for at least 2 weeks :) which is nice. All in all, I am enjoying cooking (that is quite a shocker, actually), Matt says that I am pretty good at it, but I think he says that so he does not have to cook more than one meal a week :) I must admit, the fact that he comes home to have dinner with me before he goes out drinking with his co-workers at the restaurant is flattering (considering that his co-workers were getting dinner at the restaurant as well). Oh, so far I learned how to make chicken curry (with a spicy rice to go with it), chicken with mustard sauce and sugarsnap peas, salmon, backed rigatoni with ricotta cheese and spinach, beef stew with rosemary (it took me 2 hours, but oh, was it yummy), and a bunch of other stuff....but I am loving it. Of course, I have plenty of time on my hands to cook now, but you know, most of the recipes only take 40 minutes to make, so I am thinking that I will continue cooking when I get back to the states. It's so much healthier to cook from scratch, and it tastes better than pre-cooked stuff. So there, I am quite a housewife now....
When I was in Russia I used to cook on occasion for my sister and me, but that happened more so towards the beginning of my stay in russia (fall, winter 2007-2008), back then I cooked fish and lots of time breakfasts. Since my sister and I both ate lunch while at work, and we did not get home at the same time in the evening, I used to skip dinner, so most of the time there was no need to cook. Towards the end I was so tired and not motivated that cooking was on the bottom of my priorities, on top were things like sleeping and working. Although I always enjoyed making pasta during the weekend, so my sister and I could sit down and have a decent meal with some white wine. Like I said that happened rather seldom.
However, since I moved to UK I have picked up cooking quite a bit. Matt and I go out once a week, usually. Matt makes about one meal during the week, but the rest is on me. Of course, I don't cook breakfast. Matt leaves for work when I am still snoozing, and he is nice enough not to wake me up and make me cook breakfast for him. So, dinners are on me most of the time, but I don't really mind that. I am getting quite used to coming up with different things to cook. I enjoy the process of cooking, mixing all the ingredients together and the smell is always good. I have yet to make a meal that we did not like, although I am sure we will stumble upon such experience sooner or later. I get to make a menu ahead of time, figure out what ingredients I need, then it's grocery shoping time. We usually get enough stuff for at least 2 weeks :) which is nice. All in all, I am enjoying cooking (that is quite a shocker, actually), Matt says that I am pretty good at it, but I think he says that so he does not have to cook more than one meal a week :) I must admit, the fact that he comes home to have dinner with me before he goes out drinking with his co-workers at the restaurant is flattering (considering that his co-workers were getting dinner at the restaurant as well). Oh, so far I learned how to make chicken curry (with a spicy rice to go with it), chicken with mustard sauce and sugarsnap peas, salmon, backed rigatoni with ricotta cheese and spinach, beef stew with rosemary (it took me 2 hours, but oh, was it yummy), and a bunch of other stuff....but I am loving it. Of course, I have plenty of time on my hands to cook now, but you know, most of the recipes only take 40 minutes to make, so I am thinking that I will continue cooking when I get back to the states. It's so much healthier to cook from scratch, and it tastes better than pre-cooked stuff. So there, I am quite a housewife now....
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Library...back in ancient times :)
Boy, I got spoiled when I was in the states with the library system that I got so used to. Here in England, things are different. I decided to get a library card while I am here, because I don't have the money to buy the books (I am officially unemployed, and books in UK cost a small fortune...ok, not a small fortune, but they are twice as expensive as the same books in US and I would have hard time convincing my hubby to spend twice the money for the same product :)) So, library seemed like a good idea.
When I got to the library first, I got myself a library card, which was not much of a hassle, the same procedure as in the US really. But when I first went to the library I did so to use a computer, because back then I did not have a laptop yet. I was shocked at how old their computers was, because I am used to Eagan and Burnsville libraries, you know the ones situated, let's just say not in the poor neighbourhoods, and those libraries had nice, skinny screen computers that were not as old as I am. In England, at least in Portsmouth, which is a rather small city, but it's a port and is rather expensive to live in, the computers in the library are competing in age with me, no kidding. Oh well, I got over that fact pretty easily then, because honestly, an old computer is still better than no computer.
Next I was surprised by the fact that you are allowed only 30 minutes on the computer. 30 minutes? Seriously? I can't even browse, it would take me that long to check my mail, write to a few people and maybe check if Matt has a new blog. I can't even write a blog in one sitting. Oi. Oh, and if you need more time, you have to go to the front desk after the computer disconnects after 30 minutes (yes, it just disconnects, Matt thought that at the end of 30 minutes the computer would self-destruct as in Mission Impossible, but I waited to see until the very last second of my session, and....oh well, nothing got self-destructed, boring old computers) and ask them for more time, then they approve it and you get to go back for another 30 minutes. So, yeah, I did not like using the computers at the library very much, but I did go there almost every day, but I never stayed for more than 30 minutes, did not want the front desk people think that I am addict or anything.
I did not get to check out the books till this week. I decided that I want something interesting to read. Usually I read some chick lit, something easy and fluffy. So, I went to the library, found 1 computer with catalogue (yes, just one). Tried to look for the authors I like to see what books were available. Most of the books were checked out, so I just decided to walk through the fiction section and see what jumps at me. I looked at a couple of books, but nothing really seemed like something I wanted to read. Their fiction was just organized in alphabetical way according to the author. Finally, I wandered to the front of the library where I saw shelves that had books by theme "Crime", "Horror", "Sci Fi" Now, how hard would it be to just put "Chick (not romantic) Novels" shelf there, apparently too hard. I was getting tired of browsing through books and authors that I have never heard of before, and looked on the "Crime" shelf in hopes that they would have Agatha Christie, because that is classic Crime if you ask me and I love her. And they did. They had a whopping 7 Agatha Christie's books. Now, maybe some were checked out, but people that lady wrote over 80 books, come on, everybody who loves "Crime" have got to love her, besides it's just Classic. Anyway, I picked up 2 books, and went to check out.
Here comes the last surprise, they don't have self checkout, you know those cool things, where you just bring the book to the machine that scans the bar code of the book and print a receipt for you that tells you when the book is due. Nope, you get to bring the book to the front desk, then they send you to go around the corner to another desk. Once you get there, the woman opens the cover of the book, and there are some sheets of small paper glued to the cover of the book. The lady takes the date stamper and stamps the date on the small piece of paper inside the book cover that tells me that my book is due back on November 5, 2008 (28 days for me to read the book). Wow, that is some old-school checking out procedure. Strange, strange if you ask me. They have a bar-code reading machine, obviously. They must register in the computer which books I checked out. How hard is it to have a program that just adds 28 days to the date of check out and then send the info to the printer with the name of the book and the date of when it's due. Well, apparently it's hard. I mean, I guess one plus of this system is that unless I lose the book I will never lose the date of when I am supposed to return it, I mean, it's right there on the cover (I have lost receipts from the library before stating when my book is due, and ended up paying late fee), but it just seems like a waste of time for the library worker, and let's face it the library could generate some late fees income from forgetful library users :)
Anyway, I am glad that there is a library within 10 minute walk from our apartment, and it's pretty decent size, I mean it's not called Central Library for nothing :) it's just that I was brought back in time when I went there and went through using the Internet there and checking out books. It was interesting, that is for sure.
When I got to the library first, I got myself a library card, which was not much of a hassle, the same procedure as in the US really. But when I first went to the library I did so to use a computer, because back then I did not have a laptop yet. I was shocked at how old their computers was, because I am used to Eagan and Burnsville libraries, you know the ones situated, let's just say not in the poor neighbourhoods, and those libraries had nice, skinny screen computers that were not as old as I am. In England, at least in Portsmouth, which is a rather small city, but it's a port and is rather expensive to live in, the computers in the library are competing in age with me, no kidding. Oh well, I got over that fact pretty easily then, because honestly, an old computer is still better than no computer.
Next I was surprised by the fact that you are allowed only 30 minutes on the computer. 30 minutes? Seriously? I can't even browse, it would take me that long to check my mail, write to a few people and maybe check if Matt has a new blog. I can't even write a blog in one sitting. Oi. Oh, and if you need more time, you have to go to the front desk after the computer disconnects after 30 minutes (yes, it just disconnects, Matt thought that at the end of 30 minutes the computer would self-destruct as in Mission Impossible, but I waited to see until the very last second of my session, and....oh well, nothing got self-destructed, boring old computers) and ask them for more time, then they approve it and you get to go back for another 30 minutes. So, yeah, I did not like using the computers at the library very much, but I did go there almost every day, but I never stayed for more than 30 minutes, did not want the front desk people think that I am addict or anything.
I did not get to check out the books till this week. I decided that I want something interesting to read. Usually I read some chick lit, something easy and fluffy. So, I went to the library, found 1 computer with catalogue (yes, just one). Tried to look for the authors I like to see what books were available. Most of the books were checked out, so I just decided to walk through the fiction section and see what jumps at me. I looked at a couple of books, but nothing really seemed like something I wanted to read. Their fiction was just organized in alphabetical way according to the author. Finally, I wandered to the front of the library where I saw shelves that had books by theme "Crime", "Horror", "Sci Fi" Now, how hard would it be to just put "Chick (not romantic) Novels" shelf there, apparently too hard. I was getting tired of browsing through books and authors that I have never heard of before, and looked on the "Crime" shelf in hopes that they would have Agatha Christie, because that is classic Crime if you ask me and I love her. And they did. They had a whopping 7 Agatha Christie's books. Now, maybe some were checked out, but people that lady wrote over 80 books, come on, everybody who loves "Crime" have got to love her, besides it's just Classic. Anyway, I picked up 2 books, and went to check out.
Here comes the last surprise, they don't have self checkout, you know those cool things, where you just bring the book to the machine that scans the bar code of the book and print a receipt for you that tells you when the book is due. Nope, you get to bring the book to the front desk, then they send you to go around the corner to another desk. Once you get there, the woman opens the cover of the book, and there are some sheets of small paper glued to the cover of the book. The lady takes the date stamper and stamps the date on the small piece of paper inside the book cover that tells me that my book is due back on November 5, 2008 (28 days for me to read the book). Wow, that is some old-school checking out procedure. Strange, strange if you ask me. They have a bar-code reading machine, obviously. They must register in the computer which books I checked out. How hard is it to have a program that just adds 28 days to the date of check out and then send the info to the printer with the name of the book and the date of when it's due. Well, apparently it's hard. I mean, I guess one plus of this system is that unless I lose the book I will never lose the date of when I am supposed to return it, I mean, it's right there on the cover (I have lost receipts from the library before stating when my book is due, and ended up paying late fee), but it just seems like a waste of time for the library worker, and let's face it the library could generate some late fees income from forgetful library users :)
Anyway, I am glad that there is a library within 10 minute walk from our apartment, and it's pretty decent size, I mean it's not called Central Library for nothing :) it's just that I was brought back in time when I went there and went through using the Internet there and checking out books. It was interesting, that is for sure.
Rain in England...you must be nuts
I have heard it over and over and over again from many people that it always rains in England. Are you serious people? This is the best weather I have experienced in quite some time. Matt and I live in an apartment in southern England, Portsmouth to be exact. We are very lucky, because we live right by the ocean, I love the view, and the air is awesome. The fact that we are so far south could have something to do with the weather, I don't know, but seriously, in the last month that I have been here I think it rained like 4 times. Sure, it drizzled once in awhile, but then sunshine followed, and I don't count that.
Sunshine...that is another topic all together. For the last year that I lived in Moscow I haven't seen much of sun. Moscow is the greyest city I have ever lived in. No, during the entire winter, which lasts about 4-5 months there, there could be 4-5 days of sun, I am not exaggerating, ask my sister, she will confirm. So, after a year of that, I came to England and it's mid-fall here and there is sun every day. It's beautiful, really. The sky is blue and it's sunny, who cares that it's windy a little, the sun is out. Oh, and it's pretty warm. Mid-october and it's 65F outside. Insane. I even went to Starbucks without a jacket on today, just a light sweater (yes, there is Starbucks here and it's only 4 minutes away from our apartment if that, and no, I don't go there very often, that is my second time since I have moved here).
Anyway, the point is I love weather in England, I could live with this weather, I could live with the scenery, I simply just could live here. I never thought that weather affects me, because I don't get depressed or anything, but it does affect me, because I certainly am more motivated and cheerful when it's nice out. And I am more prone to go out let's say to the library or even the grocery store, just because it's nice out and what the heck, why not take a stroll. Well, you get the picture, I am pretty happy with the fact that while I was expecting it to be grey and rainy and cold England, instead I got sunny, dry and rather warm England. Somebody up there must love me :)
Sunshine...that is another topic all together. For the last year that I lived in Moscow I haven't seen much of sun. Moscow is the greyest city I have ever lived in. No, during the entire winter, which lasts about 4-5 months there, there could be 4-5 days of sun, I am not exaggerating, ask my sister, she will confirm. So, after a year of that, I came to England and it's mid-fall here and there is sun every day. It's beautiful, really. The sky is blue and it's sunny, who cares that it's windy a little, the sun is out. Oh, and it's pretty warm. Mid-october and it's 65F outside. Insane. I even went to Starbucks without a jacket on today, just a light sweater (yes, there is Starbucks here and it's only 4 minutes away from our apartment if that, and no, I don't go there very often, that is my second time since I have moved here).
Anyway, the point is I love weather in England, I could live with this weather, I could live with the scenery, I simply just could live here. I never thought that weather affects me, because I don't get depressed or anything, but it does affect me, because I certainly am more motivated and cheerful when it's nice out. And I am more prone to go out let's say to the library or even the grocery store, just because it's nice out and what the heck, why not take a stroll. Well, you get the picture, I am pretty happy with the fact that while I was expecting it to be grey and rainy and cold England, instead I got sunny, dry and rather warm England. Somebody up there must love me :)
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