So last Thursday was my attempt at recreating a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in a tiny London kitchen to be served after work. While lacking in many of the traditional Thanksgiving elements, I believe I managed to get the general gist of the food consumption bit across.
First I'll go over the positives. I was able to get just the right amount of boneless turkey breast from Whole Foods as my recipe required, and was somehow able to figure out how to a) make stuffing, b) 'butterfly' a giant chunk of meat, c) get the turkey breast tied up again once the stuffing had been put into it. All three of these things were minor miracles. It took ages to cook, but thanks to my newly acquired meat thermometer, it turned out edible in the end. I didn't have a single pot big enough to make mashed potatoes for 6 people, so I made two smaller pots, combining them for the garlic/milk/butter combining process at the end. The remnants of the spillage from that will be cleaned off the stove soon, I'm sure. I also managed to have too much food, which I think is also key, so no one went hungry and indeed were grumbling about how full they were.
Now the things that weren't quite right. Primarily, I not only had to go to work on Thanksgiving, but the day after as well. What's up with that. We should have some sort of diplomatic agreement between our countries entitling me to having American holidays off of work. Then there was the fact that there were not endless football games on tv, that I actually had to do all the cooking instead of sitting around watching said tv, and scouting trips were required to locate all the required ingredients instead of being able to buy them from any and all grocery stores. I think in all, 5 grocery store trips were made.
In other news, I went to kickboxing class (aka, 'body combat') on Saturday. And apparently all that 'punching' and 'hair-pulling' is effective as my arms and shoulders are really sore!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!
You know who's not in a celebratory mood? The, excuse my French, bitchy New Yorker woman sassy the people at Starbucks this morning (I saw her drivers license in her Prada wallet).
Speaking of uncelebratory, the England 'football' team has like, totally blown it. TOTALLY. They have failed to qualify for the 2008 EuroCup. Instead, Croatia and Russia will be representing Group E or whatever. Basically, all they had to to was muster a tie against Croatia at Wembley last night in front of the home crowd. By the end of the first half they were down 2-0, and then on brief channel switched from Heroes saw that they managed to tie it, and then gave up another goal and lost 3-2. For shame, England, FOR SHAME. Oh, and Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales also failed to qualify. It's going to be a dull, bitter summer around here with minimal togetherness, it seems.
While some may muster somewhat more legitimate excuses, I choose to blame England's failure to qualify on a special combination of suckiness and cockiness. You're not going to win if you don't think you have to try.
So today is Thanksgiving and once again most people around me are oblivious to that the fact that they should have the day off. I'm being forced to use annual leave to cut out at lunch time to go do some cooking. Basically I have no idea what I'm doing handling large chunks of poultry and instead am banking on people just eating lots of mashed potatoes. I made cranberry sauce last night and I think it went relatively well. The turkey breast is sitting in a bowl full of salt and sugar water in the fridge for the day. And I managed to get a pumpkin pie from Whole Foods yesterday and then looked really cool carrying it around all day, including to the gym and another grocery store.
Hope everyone has a happy holiday and watches lots of actual football and eats too much!
Speaking of uncelebratory, the England 'football' team has like, totally blown it. TOTALLY. They have failed to qualify for the 2008 EuroCup. Instead, Croatia and Russia will be representing Group E or whatever. Basically, all they had to to was muster a tie against Croatia at Wembley last night in front of the home crowd. By the end of the first half they were down 2-0, and then on brief channel switched from Heroes saw that they managed to tie it, and then gave up another goal and lost 3-2. For shame, England, FOR SHAME. Oh, and Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales also failed to qualify. It's going to be a dull, bitter summer around here with minimal togetherness, it seems.
While some may muster somewhat more legitimate excuses, I choose to blame England's failure to qualify on a special combination of suckiness and cockiness. You're not going to win if you don't think you have to try.
So today is Thanksgiving and once again most people around me are oblivious to that the fact that they should have the day off. I'm being forced to use annual leave to cut out at lunch time to go do some cooking. Basically I have no idea what I'm doing handling large chunks of poultry and instead am banking on people just eating lots of mashed potatoes. I made cranberry sauce last night and I think it went relatively well. The turkey breast is sitting in a bowl full of salt and sugar water in the fridge for the day. And I managed to get a pumpkin pie from Whole Foods yesterday and then looked really cool carrying it around all day, including to the gym and another grocery store.
Hope everyone has a happy holiday and watches lots of actual football and eats too much!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Ta
Ta - 'thanks'
This word 'ta' has arisen from the depths since I've started working. Before this I have managed to either avoid hearing it, or most likely just avoid noticing it. I received it in a email to from my boss and quite frankly I thought it was some sort of typo as I had no idea what it meant. Since then I have heard it said aloud by people in the office/people in the other offices in the building when you get the door for them. I feel like it's main purpose is to avoid having to thank someone the same way in a repetitive manner. For example, when you take the elevator to leave the building you quickly go through two sets of doors to get to the lobby and then another door to get outside. This means if someone follows you outside the elevator you could be getting three doors for them. I would just mutter a 'thanks' under my breath for each of them. But those anglos are a diverse lot. If you're lucky, you could get a 'thanks', a 'ta', and a 'cheers' all within the space of about 30 seconds!
Speaking of work, yesterday morning we didn't have power for the computers and the heating was broken (we did have power for lights and the elevators were working). Luckily the power on my floor came back around 10:15, as opposed to some of the other floors with had to go out and buy massive extension cords to hook the whole floors up to the small number of outlets that were working. It was bitterly cold and pouring down with rain all day yesterday. Basically everyone was sitting around slightly damp and wearing their coat. I'm predicting an outbreak of pneumonia by the end of the week.
And back in gym news, I met with the personal trainer types on both Saturday and Sunday and now have a little 'routine' I'm supposed to do. I gave it a whirl yesterday and it took over an hour and I was quite sweaty by the end of it. Those trainers don't give you simple tasks, I tell ya. Like, I have to run really fast!
This word 'ta' has arisen from the depths since I've started working. Before this I have managed to either avoid hearing it, or most likely just avoid noticing it. I received it in a email to from my boss and quite frankly I thought it was some sort of typo as I had no idea what it meant. Since then I have heard it said aloud by people in the office/people in the other offices in the building when you get the door for them. I feel like it's main purpose is to avoid having to thank someone the same way in a repetitive manner. For example, when you take the elevator to leave the building you quickly go through two sets of doors to get to the lobby and then another door to get outside. This means if someone follows you outside the elevator you could be getting three doors for them. I would just mutter a 'thanks' under my breath for each of them. But those anglos are a diverse lot. If you're lucky, you could get a 'thanks', a 'ta', and a 'cheers' all within the space of about 30 seconds!
Speaking of work, yesterday morning we didn't have power for the computers and the heating was broken (we did have power for lights and the elevators were working). Luckily the power on my floor came back around 10:15, as opposed to some of the other floors with had to go out and buy massive extension cords to hook the whole floors up to the small number of outlets that were working. It was bitterly cold and pouring down with rain all day yesterday. Basically everyone was sitting around slightly damp and wearing their coat. I'm predicting an outbreak of pneumonia by the end of the week.
And back in gym news, I met with the personal trainer types on both Saturday and Sunday and now have a little 'routine' I'm supposed to do. I gave it a whirl yesterday and it took over an hour and I was quite sweaty by the end of it. Those trainers don't give you simple tasks, I tell ya. Like, I have to run really fast!
Friday, November 16, 2007
BodyStep, BodyPump, BodyAttack!
I made my second trip to the new gym on Wednesday. Feeling brave, but not too brave, I managed to convince myself to try out a class. It was a step class, so I just had to follow the unspoken lead of the few people that got there before me and go in and grab a step and assemble it in an empty area of floor. Luckily I was able to do this. There were about 15 people in the class - all females. The class was 45 minutes long and involved a warm-up, some kind of hard stuff, and then a sort of cool-down stretching period at the end. Overall, probably looked like a bit of an idiot but I enjoyed it and will probably go back.
Yesterday I went to the gym after work again (if you can't convince yourself to go a lot the first week you join, you'll probably never go). The class at the same time was called BodyPump. It again involved the step, but also incorporated weights. I poked my head in to see if I would be brave enough to endeavor, but the set-up looked way too complex. Everyone had a step, a mat, a bar with weights at the ends, and extra weights on hand. How on earth was I supposed to know what sort of weights to collect? Is it supposed to be light and based on repetition or heavy and strenuous? What were the extra weights for? Needless to say, I fled back to the sanctuary of the elliptical trainer.
In this class starting with the word body trend, there is also BodyAttack and BodyCombat. The combat one just incorporates some martial arts moves and sounds like it could be fun. BodyAttack sounds like it will kill you by apparently testing your endurance no matter what your fitness level is. I take that to be a bad thing and will avoid it for the forseeable future. On Monday evening I may try 'cycling' as it sounds way less scary than 'RPM', although both involve using a bike in the dark with strobe lights and someone yelling at you.
Yesterday I went to the gym after work again (if you can't convince yourself to go a lot the first week you join, you'll probably never go). The class at the same time was called BodyPump. It again involved the step, but also incorporated weights. I poked my head in to see if I would be brave enough to endeavor, but the set-up looked way too complex. Everyone had a step, a mat, a bar with weights at the ends, and extra weights on hand. How on earth was I supposed to know what sort of weights to collect? Is it supposed to be light and based on repetition or heavy and strenuous? What were the extra weights for? Needless to say, I fled back to the sanctuary of the elliptical trainer.
In this class starting with the word body trend, there is also BodyAttack and BodyCombat. The combat one just incorporates some martial arts moves and sounds like it could be fun. BodyAttack sounds like it will kill you by apparently testing your endurance no matter what your fitness level is. I take that to be a bad thing and will avoid it for the forseeable future. On Monday evening I may try 'cycling' as it sounds way less scary than 'RPM', although both involve using a bike in the dark with strobe lights and someone yelling at you.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Woman in Black
A few weeks ago, right after I got paid and was feeling rich and motivated by the 2 for 1 Oyster card offer, I got tickets to see a play. Perhaps primarily for the reason it reminded me of the best ever book, The Woman in White, I decided I wanted to see the Woman in Black. While based on a novel, it was not written by Wilkie Collins.
The Woman in Black is, in my mind at least, a bit different for the West End in that it's a major show that's been running for 18 years, but it's not a musical. While still a theatrical more so than what I term a 'deep thought' play, it's performed with only two actors and the only effects are done with relatively simple light and sound. It's a 'scary' play, but I wasn't too sure what to expect. Oh, and the play was last night.
It was in a small theater on the far side of Covent Garden from Leicester Square, where there is quite a cluster of theaters (it was right across from where they are doing Lord of the Rings, which I certainly have no desire to see). And by small, I mean pretty tiny. The bathroom was the smallest thing ever still managing to have 2 stalls. When I was waiting in line a woman left without washing her hands. I almost said something. Anyways, the Oyster card deal entitled me to get two top price tickets for the price of one, so it was basically the same price as getting two really crappy seats. Instead we were sitting in the 7th row, right in the middle. Of course, there were only about 12 rows on the lower level, but that's besides the point. If for some reason anyone plans on seeing it, I won't reveal much of the plot, but I will say it was very effectively scary and the acting was good. I heartily recommend it for a pleasant evening out. And it wasn't boring at all!!
In other news, I made my first trip to the gym on Monday. It was a little intimidating, but I managed to remember my way around alright. The cardio area was a bustling, and after not having been to a gym since I left Southampton, the treadmill and I didn't get along all that well. When I was leaving there was a girl waiting for a locker to free up (they were all taken by this time), who saw my Beavers tee and asked if I was from Oregon. She was from Seattle (but went to Michigan for school). I'm going for my second whirl this evening. I'm contemplating taking a class but the likelihood of me chickening out is high.
The Woman in Black is, in my mind at least, a bit different for the West End in that it's a major show that's been running for 18 years, but it's not a musical. While still a theatrical more so than what I term a 'deep thought' play, it's performed with only two actors and the only effects are done with relatively simple light and sound. It's a 'scary' play, but I wasn't too sure what to expect. Oh, and the play was last night.
It was in a small theater on the far side of Covent Garden from Leicester Square, where there is quite a cluster of theaters (it was right across from where they are doing Lord of the Rings, which I certainly have no desire to see). And by small, I mean pretty tiny. The bathroom was the smallest thing ever still managing to have 2 stalls. When I was waiting in line a woman left without washing her hands. I almost said something. Anyways, the Oyster card deal entitled me to get two top price tickets for the price of one, so it was basically the same price as getting two really crappy seats. Instead we were sitting in the 7th row, right in the middle. Of course, there were only about 12 rows on the lower level, but that's besides the point. If for some reason anyone plans on seeing it, I won't reveal much of the plot, but I will say it was very effectively scary and the acting was good. I heartily recommend it for a pleasant evening out. And it wasn't boring at all!!
In other news, I made my first trip to the gym on Monday. It was a little intimidating, but I managed to remember my way around alright. The cardio area was a bustling, and after not having been to a gym since I left Southampton, the treadmill and I didn't get along all that well. When I was leaving there was a girl waiting for a locker to free up (they were all taken by this time), who saw my Beavers tee and asked if I was from Oregon. She was from Seattle (but went to Michigan for school). I'm going for my second whirl this evening. I'm contemplating taking a class but the likelihood of me chickening out is high.
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Gym
Yesterday I did something new and exciting: I joined the gym! And not a student gym or an express little gym, but basicall the fanciest gym I've ever seen. This is not because I am indeed a fancy person, it's just the only gym I can get to easily in my hood. It's a David Lloyd, which is some sort of chain with a multitude of locations, this one being at Fulham Broadway, in the same lovely building as the tube station, the movie theater, restaurants and a grocery store. Let me just stop for a moment to say that my 'y' button is sticking and has been really bothering me for several days now. Bad y, bad!
My reason for not joining the gym before now has been the price - 75 pounds a month. Which after paying 80 pounds for a whole year of Southampton University gym is quite a blow. But lucky for all involved, David Lloyd is running a special deal with a slashed joining fee and no membership due until January. So yesterday afternoon we made an appointment to see the place and basically join as I don't think anyone can escape those things without joining. The gym is on the top floor of the little mall thing and includes a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, Costa Coffee, free wi-fi, a licensed bar, a big cardio area filled with plasma tvs, random equipment I would never know how to use, a separate 'ladies gym' with much small tvs, and 3 rooms where they hold different types of classes (and they have a lot of classes!). And most importantly, free towels as you walk in. Joining also includes an appointment with a personal trainer who will basically show you how to use everything and come up with some sort of work out plan for you (which is then conveniently left on file accessible as you walk in). Note: the y key seems to be behaving. So my appointment is on Saturday. I'm a little wary that some drill instructor type will spend half an hour yelling at me but mainly optimistic that they'll be able to show me how to use the scary looking pilates machines.
I've got my little extra bag all made up to take to work with me today so I can go straight to the gym on the way home. I have the distinct feeling that I will get lost as the place is some sort of maze and I'm going to end up in a sauna with a bunch of mafia members or naked Germans or something but hoping that won't be the case! Also worried that it's going to be overly crowded at that time, but can also see the ladies only gym possibly coming to the treadmill rescue!
And I tried some of Lisa's tube standing techniques yesterday evening! They went quite well but I had to end up putting one foot in front of the other to maintain balance in the other direction. I'm assuming it doesn't help that train tracks I'm using were built in the mid-1800s.
My reason for not joining the gym before now has been the price - 75 pounds a month. Which after paying 80 pounds for a whole year of Southampton University gym is quite a blow. But lucky for all involved, David Lloyd is running a special deal with a slashed joining fee and no membership due until January. So yesterday afternoon we made an appointment to see the place and basically join as I don't think anyone can escape those things without joining. The gym is on the top floor of the little mall thing and includes a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, Costa Coffee, free wi-fi, a licensed bar, a big cardio area filled with plasma tvs, random equipment I would never know how to use, a separate 'ladies gym' with much small tvs, and 3 rooms where they hold different types of classes (and they have a lot of classes!). And most importantly, free towels as you walk in. Joining also includes an appointment with a personal trainer who will basically show you how to use everything and come up with some sort of work out plan for you (which is then conveniently left on file accessible as you walk in). Note: the y key seems to be behaving. So my appointment is on Saturday. I'm a little wary that some drill instructor type will spend half an hour yelling at me but mainly optimistic that they'll be able to show me how to use the scary looking pilates machines.
I've got my little extra bag all made up to take to work with me today so I can go straight to the gym on the way home. I have the distinct feeling that I will get lost as the place is some sort of maze and I'm going to end up in a sauna with a bunch of mafia members or naked Germans or something but hoping that won't be the case! Also worried that it's going to be overly crowded at that time, but can also see the ladies only gym possibly coming to the treadmill rescue!
And I tried some of Lisa's tube standing techniques yesterday evening! They went quite well but I had to end up putting one foot in front of the other to maintain balance in the other direction. I'm assuming it doesn't help that train tracks I'm using were built in the mid-1800s.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Tube Standing
One thing that I have a lot of trouble with on my daily commute is not falling on my bottom and/or a gazillion other people. In the morning time, there's basically no way I will ever get a seat so I am always standing, squashed amongst many others. There are bars overhead that you can generally hold on to, but often-times you find yourself in such a cramped position as to not be able to hold onto any and instead you must rely on your own crafty balance. This wouldn't be too bad but I don't have crafty balance, and this is only worsened by the fact that I am wearing heels that minimize my floor contact.
You see hardened commuters who can just stand in the middle of the car and read a book and have no problems, while I am standing there holding onto an overhead pole flailing about like a jack in the box. The other day I think I might have pierced a guys foot with my shoe and from hearing the under the breath cursing, I don't think he was pleased.
I keep trying to find the best way to stand - facing the direction of travel, facing away from the direction of travel, facing perpendicular to the direction of travel, and nothing really works. Do you keep your knees locked? Slightly bent? I sometimes I think it helps to keep a slightly wider stance than normal, but this can be near impossible in the mornings. And I also try to have my toes pointed in different directions, but this can also be difficult without looking really silly. Basically to maintain any sense of cool while on the tube I need to either have a seat or be in a position where I can hold on firmly (aka, have basically my entire forearm wrapped around) one of the floor to ceiling poles. And then I have to be mentally prepared for starting and stopping and the occasional random lurch that comes with traveling on the District Line.
Are there any secrets to train standing that I just haven't discovered? Is there just a bit of a learning curve? Or is my balance just that bad? Most likely it is all of these things.
You see hardened commuters who can just stand in the middle of the car and read a book and have no problems, while I am standing there holding onto an overhead pole flailing about like a jack in the box. The other day I think I might have pierced a guys foot with my shoe and from hearing the under the breath cursing, I don't think he was pleased.
I keep trying to find the best way to stand - facing the direction of travel, facing away from the direction of travel, facing perpendicular to the direction of travel, and nothing really works. Do you keep your knees locked? Slightly bent? I sometimes I think it helps to keep a slightly wider stance than normal, but this can be near impossible in the mornings. And I also try to have my toes pointed in different directions, but this can also be difficult without looking really silly. Basically to maintain any sense of cool while on the tube I need to either have a seat or be in a position where I can hold on firmly (aka, have basically my entire forearm wrapped around) one of the floor to ceiling poles. And then I have to be mentally prepared for starting and stopping and the occasional random lurch that comes with traveling on the District Line.
Are there any secrets to train standing that I just haven't discovered? Is there just a bit of a learning curve? Or is my balance just that bad? Most likely it is all of these things.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Taste the Difference
One thing that seems to be rather common around here is distinct divisions of quality and price within the same stores. To clarify, there are numerous opportunities to go into one store and either buy things on the cheap or to class things up a bit. Much like when flying you have a choice of economy or first class.
Exhibit A: the grocery store. Tesco and Sainsbury's (and I'm sure other chains, I just can't think of them right now) both have 'regular' food items and their gourmet food items. At Tesco it's Tesco's Finest, at Sainsbury's it's 'Taste the Difference'. These product lines cover vast spectrums, from pre-made sandwiches to condiments to noodles and frozen entrees. For a little more money, you get something with slightly more pretentious ingredients and a heftier price tag. The down side of this is that if you just get a regular sauce there is the general implication it is made with cheap crap as all the good stuff is in the pricier version. For example, when I was at Sainsbury's buying cold soup on Sunday, I had the general option of paying £1.99 for their fancy soups, including root vegetable, or paying £0.99 for regular, which included flavors suchs as minestrone and potato and leek. In this case I opted for the cheaper as I enjoy minestrone soup and it was very delicious. I think things only get really complex when you have to seemingly identical items, like pasta sauce, where one is fancy and the other is not and you feel like you are having to choose between having a tasty dinner or not. And now that I think about it, Sainsbury's also features Sainsbury's Basic, which in some respects is kind of like slurry and/or cardboard.
Exhibit B: the clothing store. My primary example of this is Zara, where they have two completely separate lines: Zara Basic and Zara Woman. Zara Woman costs about 50% more and features more substantial fabrics, some classier designs, and usually occupies the prime floor space in the store. Like having a Banana Republic and an Old Navy under one roof. I think everything I own from Zara falls under the Zara Basic classification. While this to me implies they clothes are more likely to fall apart after two months, I'm just a bit cheap like that. Plus I think the Zara Woman clothes often go a step too far in their fashionable-ness when I need something simple that I can get away with wearing to work at least once a week.
There are many more examples of these divisions. Like, Marks and Spencer features 'everyday value' products which tend to be simpler and cheaper than other items (and more likely to include polyester). And I'm sure there are many others. I just can't think of them right now.
Exhibit A: the grocery store. Tesco and Sainsbury's (and I'm sure other chains, I just can't think of them right now) both have 'regular' food items and their gourmet food items. At Tesco it's Tesco's Finest, at Sainsbury's it's 'Taste the Difference'. These product lines cover vast spectrums, from pre-made sandwiches to condiments to noodles and frozen entrees. For a little more money, you get something with slightly more pretentious ingredients and a heftier price tag. The down side of this is that if you just get a regular sauce there is the general implication it is made with cheap crap as all the good stuff is in the pricier version. For example, when I was at Sainsbury's buying cold soup on Sunday, I had the general option of paying £1.99 for their fancy soups, including root vegetable, or paying £0.99 for regular, which included flavors suchs as minestrone and potato and leek. In this case I opted for the cheaper as I enjoy minestrone soup and it was very delicious. I think things only get really complex when you have to seemingly identical items, like pasta sauce, where one is fancy and the other is not and you feel like you are having to choose between having a tasty dinner or not. And now that I think about it, Sainsbury's also features Sainsbury's Basic, which in some respects is kind of like slurry and/or cardboard.
Exhibit B: the clothing store. My primary example of this is Zara, where they have two completely separate lines: Zara Basic and Zara Woman. Zara Woman costs about 50% more and features more substantial fabrics, some classier designs, and usually occupies the prime floor space in the store. Like having a Banana Republic and an Old Navy under one roof. I think everything I own from Zara falls under the Zara Basic classification. While this to me implies they clothes are more likely to fall apart after two months, I'm just a bit cheap like that. Plus I think the Zara Woman clothes often go a step too far in their fashionable-ness when I need something simple that I can get away with wearing to work at least once a week.
There are many more examples of these divisions. Like, Marks and Spencer features 'everyday value' products which tend to be simpler and cheaper than other items (and more likely to include polyester). And I'm sure there are many others. I just can't think of them right now.
Monday, November 05, 2007
The Golden Age of Couture
It's Monday morning again. But never mind that, let's relive my weekend. On Saturday I got my haircut at an 'Aveda concept salon' down the street from my house. It was my 'I got my first paycheck treat' (that along with getting 2 pairs of shoes fixed). It was in many respects bizarrely similar to a Habitude experience. Whilst it was lacking in giant woodsy atmosphere and guy in the waiting area offering hand massages, it had the same tea, the exact same robes and the same pre-haircut head massage with scented oils (but instead of just head, the shoulders were tossed in as well). There was an American girl next to me getting her hair colored by another American, and they were discussing how there just weren't many Americans in London. I wanted to be like, what are you talking about? There are loads! But I didn't.
Yesterday I did something I've been intending to do since the end of September... I went to the special exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum on what was basically 1950s high fashion. Instead of being free as the general exhibits are, it was £5 for a student ticket (my Southampton card does't expire until the end of July 2008) but I thought well worth it. It was, believe it or not, full of women. But the exhibit featured a large quantity of designer fashions from the time, including additional items to put everything in context, compared clothes being made locally at the time to items made in Paris, the undergarments involved, and had clips from fashion shows at the time. There was daywear, cocktail-type dresses, and an extensive evening wear section. Included in the exhibit was one dress worn by the queen on a visit to Paris in the late 1950s, several items owned by Princess Margaret and a few items owned by quite possibly the most famous person who shares my name, Margot Fonteyn. She was a wee one. Anyways, I thought it was an excellent exhibit and well-worth the special trip. Sadly, it was probably one of my favorite special exhibits ever. Followed closely by the Sargent exhibit in Seattle and that German royal family exhibit in Portland.
Oh, and worth noting is that I have had soup the last three days for lunch. Friday it was chicken noodle but with no noodles from Whole Foods, Saturday it was this fabulous Moroccan chicken from Waitrose, and yesterday it was Minestrone from Sainsbury's. I think it may be my new favorite thing. In fact, today I may go hit Tesco and microwave myself up a little something. Or I can go to eat and pay twice as much and have it pre-heated. Hmm. Choices. Mmm. Soup.
Yesterday I did something I've been intending to do since the end of September... I went to the special exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum on what was basically 1950s high fashion. Instead of being free as the general exhibits are, it was £5 for a student ticket (my Southampton card does't expire until the end of July 2008) but I thought well worth it. It was, believe it or not, full of women. But the exhibit featured a large quantity of designer fashions from the time, including additional items to put everything in context, compared clothes being made locally at the time to items made in Paris, the undergarments involved, and had clips from fashion shows at the time. There was daywear, cocktail-type dresses, and an extensive evening wear section. Included in the exhibit was one dress worn by the queen on a visit to Paris in the late 1950s, several items owned by Princess Margaret and a few items owned by quite possibly the most famous person who shares my name, Margot Fonteyn. She was a wee one. Anyways, I thought it was an excellent exhibit and well-worth the special trip. Sadly, it was probably one of my favorite special exhibits ever. Followed closely by the Sargent exhibit in Seattle and that German royal family exhibit in Portland.
Oh, and worth noting is that I have had soup the last three days for lunch. Friday it was chicken noodle but with no noodles from Whole Foods, Saturday it was this fabulous Moroccan chicken from Waitrose, and yesterday it was Minestrone from Sainsbury's. I think it may be my new favorite thing. In fact, today I may go hit Tesco and microwave myself up a little something. Or I can go to eat and pay twice as much and have it pre-heated. Hmm. Choices. Mmm. Soup.
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