Thursday, October 1, 2009

SERIOUSLY???!!!!!!

Today I came home from work and decided I would have a giant chicken Caesar salad for dinner with croutons and parm cheese and the works. So, I changed and off I went with my 'Don't think mean, think green' reusable shopping bag, happy as a clam. I stopped at the cheap grocery store to get my salad and then planned to go to the expensive grocery store for the fixings (chicken, dressing, croutons). Got my chicken, and I'm on the hunt for my croutons and dressing. I come to the dressing section first. After about 1 full minute of starting and the two small shelf areas with salad dressing, it slowly sinks in that they do not have Caesar dressing...I think I must have missed it, right? So I look again, deliberately reading each label. And still no Caesar dressing. Now I think back to the various menus I've seen over the past four weeks and like a black cloud, along comes the realization that they don't have Caesar salad OR Caesar dressing here!!!! SERIOUSLY???!!!!!! I am NOT impressed with this place. First turkey bacon, now Caesar salad dressing??? Two staples of my diet snatched out from my reach. I am thoroughly unhappy with this new development.

Stupid London, with their stupid 'Heinz Salad Cream' and fresh ham bacon. F%"*, F$%@ity, F$%! aRGh!

....

SERIOUSLY???!!!!!!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Researching, cooking and such

So I've been temping yesterday and today at this Communications Agency in Notting Hill. It's good, kinda boring, but nowhere near as horrific as that data formatting job last week. I am still in full possession of my will to live so that's a good sign. The only sucky part is that the hours at 9-6, which is very common here. It's really long so I take my lunch around 2 or 2:30 to help the time pass.

I must say that I had no idea my weirdo story would spark such interest. I will do my best to report further on the other weirdos I meet cause there are tons. Last weekend while waiting in Liverpool Station I saw some ridiculously strange things including a man who from the front looked bald but from the back had a little patch of unshaved hair so long he had it pulled into a ponytail. He was also wearing quite fitted capri pants. I stared at him long and hard trying to comprehend exactly what was going on. I also saw a girl in dress so short it and tight it rode up and showed her bum when she walked. I know I have been known to wear some pretty s
hort things, but there is a limit to how short I will go and bum-bearing dresses is it.

Sidenote about short dresses/skirts: professional skirts and dresses go suprisingly short over here. Things that at home I would hem and haw trying to decide if it was too short for work (and then wear anyways) are totally fine over here. It's fantastic!!! I think it's cause everyone wears flats to work cause they have to take the tube.But really, it's nice :)

Anyways, I've posted a pic of my delicious afternoon snack I had at work today. It was a limonada or Italian lemon soda and a cinnabella (I think I made that up, but it was called something like that). It was a homemade doughnut. VERY similar to the ones I had in my cookbook. It's inspired me to make some cause they're delicious and easy to make. I had it at t
his little Italian cafe/restaurant in Notting Hill. I've walked past it a dozen times and never noticed it until today.

OH! And while on the topic of food, I made my own version of Moxie's Warm Mosaic Dip last night. It was delicious. The only difference between mine and Moxies was that I mixed the mushrooms with minced lamb which was amazing. It was lamb and mushrooms with a ton of garlic and red onions topped with diced tomatoes topped with seasoned goat cheese. I ate it with naan bread which was the closest thing I could find to flat bread. So delicious. I didn't take a pic cause it didn't actually look very appetizing, it just smelled and tasted amazing. I still have some left. So good. I wish I could share it with you all so that you could tell me what good cook I am ;)

Oh, and there's also a picture of Mabel the dog! Isn't she adorable??!!!





Mmmmm, homemade doughnut. It's just occurred to me that this may have been a Greek restaurant and not an Italian one.



Isn't she's sooo sweet??? Aaaaaawww Mabul Wabul!!!

Monday, September 28, 2009

And the Weirdo Award goes to...

Alright so that weekend was not that interesting. Did my hair Friday, as I've already reported. The puking girl was ok by the way. I've posted pics of the hair below for those of you who care to take a look, feedback is appreciated!

Sunday my bed got set up, which is nice. I enjoy it. Makes my room seem smaller but it's still a good size. I still need to buy a microwave and a full length mirror but I'm just too lazy to bring either item home on the bus. Maybe this weekend...


So on to the weirdo award. I've seen a lot of weirdos here but this one tops them all so far. This occurred Saturday night arou
nd 10:30 pm. I was in the tube station waiting for the tube to go meet my friends cause we were going to a 'black rave'. Essentially a social. I was scared when I heard the word 'rave' but that's just London speak for social. It wasn't good. I don't feel like elaborating cause it just reminds me that I wasted a fabulous outfit and £15 and did not enjoy myself. Anyways, back to the tube station. I have my fabulous outfit on beneath my long empire waist coat and flats. My shoes are in my bag. I'm waiting for the tube and I actually just missed it so I'm the only person standing on my side of the platform. I'm on the phone with friend. I notice a man walk by but I don't really pay any attention. I end the call and the following conversation ensues between me and the other man on the platform. This isn't word for word but it's pretty close having been imprinted in my memory as one of the strangest conversations ever:

Him: (really loud) Hey, are you American or something? (He was actually standing much closer to me than I expected)

Me: (at a normal level) No, I'm Canadian
Him: REally? Canadian. Wow. So what are you doing here?
Me: Just came to work and travel.
Him:Sure sure, you came to check out the London men.

Me: What?!
Him: I know, don't worry. How old are you?
Me: 23, how old are you? (I asked this because he looked about 35 and I was hoping my young age would bring him shame and scare him off)
Him: 27 (bullshitty!! He was definitely at least 35, he had grey hairs in his beard)

Me: 27, really? I see. (Here I tried to end the conversation by looking away in the direction of the train for a good 20 seconds)
Him: How long have you been here?
Me: 3 weeks
Him: REally? Wow. Then you need someone to show you around.
Me: No, I don't.

Him: Yes you do. I'll show you around. I'll show you a good time.
Me: No, really, I have plenty of people to show me around. I'm fine, thanks though.
Him: Do you live near here?
Me: Yes.
Him: Where?

Me: Near here.
Him: Do you have a man? (This was less of a question and more of a demand, I had barely finished responding to his previous question)

Me: Ummm...no. (As soon as I said no, I realized I should have said yes)
Him: WHAT?! (this was pretty much yelled and made the people on the other side of the platform look over)
Me: ......(silence and looking away again, praying for the train to come)

Him: How is is possible? (Still pretty much yelling)
Me: ......I'm not sure?
Him: New, Canadian and fine, how can you not have a man? (Still way too loud)
Me: (praying: Dear God, please let the train come, please, please, please)
Him: mmm mmm (still staring at me)

Me: Oh, thank God. (the train pulls up. I walk away from him and he follows. I stop near one door, he stops, then I walk on to another car, he follows. I sigh and get on. He follows me on and starts gesturing to one of the two-person seats at the back. I ignore him and go sit one seat away from a man and put my bag down beside me. He comes to stand beside where I'm sitting, I ignore him)
Him: (leaning over and into my face) How can you not have a man?
Me: I'm quite happy actually.

Him: You're happy without a man? (incredulously)
Me: Ya.
Him: What, are you celibate or something?
Me: What?!
Him: Are you celibate?

Me: How is that any of your business (I'm starting to be rude now)
Him: I asked you a question.
Me: Well the answer is none of your business.

Him: How come sexual questions are so prohibited in our society?
Me: Seriously?? Because of their nature (In retrospect I should have gotten up and moved away but I was so annoyed with this psycho, I couldn't help answering)

Him: No, really, why are sexual questions so prohibited? What is everyone afraid of? (He seemed to think he was being really philosophical and deep)
Me:....(silence)
Him: (after about 1 full minute of silence) Can I just ask you one more question that's been on my mind for a while now?

Me: (silence, looking straight ahead)
Him: Why don't you wear you natural hair? I see all these black women wearing white woman hair and it pisses me off. Are you ashamed? Why do you want to look like a white woman?

Me: I can't really answer on behalf of all black women.
Him: Well then answer on behalf of you.
Me: I just like my hair like this, alright?!! ( I was PISSED. He should k
now that you DO NOT ask a black woman why she wears weaves or imply that she shouldn't. You just don't.)
Him: Alright, alright, it was just a question.

I guess he saw how mad I was cause he didn't say anything else after that. And, thank God, he did not follow me off the tube when I got off. I was kinda scared he would. But I was prepared to go straight to the security guard if he did. So that guy wins the Weirdo Award
of the week. I pray I do not meet anyone weirder than that this week. And that I don't ever run into him again. Below are the pics of my hair which apparently so offended the weirdo and yet is probably half the reason he noticed me in the first place. Dumbass.