I didn't have too much trouble getting up this morning. I suppose it was all the sleep I'd gotten the night before. We took our time showering and getting ready. Unfortunately, today the weather wasn't quite as nice as it was yesterday. The sun was out off and on, but it was very very windy. Anthony walked down the street to a pastry shop to pick up breakfast. This place was amazing! Merengues shaped like roses and sprinkled with red sugar, so beautiful. Pan au chocolat, almond croissants, carrot cake, cheese cakes, tarts-everything looked so beautiful.
We were expecting a visit from one of Gianluca's Italian friends. She would be staying the night with us and we were all anticipating a very crowded house. She arrived around noon and we headed out for some sight-seeing. On the bus, Anthony made a point to ask us very loudly where in Mexico we'd transferred planes before heading to the UK. He thinks it's hilarious, Londoners do not. We got lots of worried looks, this swine flu thing has people very wary of foreigners, especially Mexicans.
We stopped in at a deli type place for some lunch. Then we headed to Soho. The place was so busy. There are so many theatres. There's a big advertisement for Michael Jackson's upcoming tour, Anthony's going and I'm totally jealous. We then walked towards Big Ben (that's the name of the actual bell, not the tower itself), walked past the Prime Minister's home where we stopped to pose with a guard, then checked out West Minster Abbey. It's very beautiful from the outside, decorated in the gothic architectural style. It cost 12 pounds to go inside, so we chose not to. Then we walked across the Waterloo bridge to head towards the London Eye. This was one of the most spectacular views of London! The bridge crosses over the Thames. And you get a wonderful view of the London Eye from here. I took tons of pictures. We walked along Waterloo Pier which is right near the Eye. There were all kinds of things going on there. There were a few really cool Dali' sculptures outside that I got some photos of. There were street performers, cement painters, even a really neat looking merry-go-round.
Walking past the London Eye we came upon the Globe Theatre, it's a replica of the theatre where Shakespeare put on a lot of his plays. We didn't get to go inside because they only do performances in the summer as well. We also passed by a skate park that was heavily graffitied. It made for some good photos. Then we walked by the Tate Museum. We planned on going there the next day (but didn't make it). Then we made our way to the Millennium Bridge. I wish I'd taken more pictures of it. It's such a cool structure. From the end that opens on Waterloo Pier, you walk towards St. Paul's Cathedral. It's a very cool view. The view from the Bell Tower at St. Paul's is supposed to rival the view from the London Eye, only you have to trek up 500 or so steps to get it. It was too late for us to take the tour today, so we headed back to the apartment to change up before heading out to dinner.
I was looking forward to a good Indian dinner, since I'd heard so much about Indian food in London. A cab picked us up and Anthony again mentioned that we were Mexicans to the driver. He freaked out and asked if we had the swine flu. After assuring him that we did not, he eased up. Our destination was Brick Lane. Indian restaurants are lined up here, and the custom is to walk up and down the street looking for the best bargain. Door guys will try to get you to come in by offering up a round of drinks (beer and wine included) and a percentage discount. We settled on a place called Sheba where we got our first round of drinks free and a 30% discount. Score! I wanted to order the Chicken Vindaloo but the menu said it wasn't spicy, and I wanted heat. So I settled for the Chicken Ceylon, which the menu said was 'fairly' spicy. Well, fairly spicy to them nearly burned my tastebuds off. I was sweating the food was so hot! I couldn't handle it so I had to pick at my friend's dishes instead.
The next day was a working holiday in London so the natives were out in full force ready to party. Brick Lane was really rowdy and we headed to a bar for some drinks. The had caipirinhas for cheap, so I bought a round for the gang. We only stayed there for one drink, though, 'cause Maria and I were in the mood for some dancing. We headed out and ended up walking for a good thirty minutes before making it to our destination! It was cold and our feet were tired, so Maria ordered tequila shots for the gang! The bar was kinda boring, but we made the best of it before heading back home. Another crazy night in Londontown. I'm surprised how well I held up today considering Saturday night's illness.
Monday, May 11, 2009
European Vacation: Day 1
Friday, May 2nd, kind of crept up on me. I had so many things left to do before the big vacay and my nerves were slowly unravelling. I knew that I wouldn't be able to relax until I got on that plane to Dallas. Luckily, I made up lists for what I needed to take with me. They helped keep me sane in the days leading up to take-off. I got my lists checked off in time to make it to the airport with 2 hours to spare.
I boarded the plane to Dallas and was unfortunately seated next to a very opinionated Republican from Iowa. He was an Obama hater, I was exhausted, so I let him rave for a while without combatting anything he had to say.
Once in Dallas, I was still feeling good. Not too tired, nerves in check and very excited about the upcoming flight. I met up with Maria and we chatted a bit before boarding. We weren't sitting together but the man who was sitting next to her was nice enough to give up his seat so that we could sit together. Little did we know what was a head of us.
The guys sitting behind us were pretty happy before take-off. They were chatting up the flight attendant which led me to believe they were already tipsy. They proceeded to order two or three vodkas at a time. The attendant kept brining them their drinks with no questions asked. They were loud and shouting. It seems like we had the trifecta of terrible passengers seated all around us. Next to me was a very sick woman who kept coughing, I assumed it was the swine flu. Next to her was her cranky toddler who kept crying. And then there were the drunks. To top it off the audio system for the plane's entertainment system did not work so we had no audio for the movies that were played.
The attendants eventually cut off the guys sitting behind us which upset one of them. He started banging his drink tray up against the back of Maria's seat and then started patting her head. I went and told the attendants and they led us straight into first class! So awesome, we were actually able to sleep a good four hours in comfort.
We arrived in London at around noon. Walking through the airport we passed by a currency exchange place and noticed that the exchange rate was 1.49:1. Yikes! We were kind of freaked out about how hard it was going to be to stretch our dollars on this vacation. After picking up our bags we made our way onto the tube. There were lots of stairs and escalators to deal with. Not so easy with two bags a piece. But we made it and Anthony picked us up at the Angel Metro station. We walked quite a ways back to his apartment and were exhausted. But we didn't want to waste any time so we headed to lunch. We went to a really cute Mediterranean place, had some wine and food and Gianluca met up with us. It was nice catching up with those two. I feel like Anthony and I can just swing back into our friendship so easily! Anthony has nicknamed Maria, Prima, because he says that in all my e-mails to him I never mentioned her name.
After lunch, we headed out for some sight-seeing. First stop, Buckingham Palace! What a sight. The gardens surrounding the palace were gorgeous and beautifully manicured. It's so strange to think that the idea of royalty still exists in this world. And that someone gets to live in such a place of grandeur. We didn't get to take a tour, though, they only do those in the summer. On the bus ride back, I fell asleep. The jet lag had really hit me and my exhaustion felt like a ton of bricks on my chest.
The jet lag only got worse. Anthony made a booking at a nice bar and hurried us out the door but I was nauseous the whole way over there. And despite my best attempts at perking up via sparkling water, I had to take a cab back home. I spent the night taking naps and waking up to Londoners in other flats partying to cumbia music (surprising here in London), "Welcome to the Jungle," Lady Gaga and "Ice Ice Baby". The group didn't come home til after 2 in the am and I was feeling better at that point so I got up to hear stories from their night out.
I boarded the plane to Dallas and was unfortunately seated next to a very opinionated Republican from Iowa. He was an Obama hater, I was exhausted, so I let him rave for a while without combatting anything he had to say.
Once in Dallas, I was still feeling good. Not too tired, nerves in check and very excited about the upcoming flight. I met up with Maria and we chatted a bit before boarding. We weren't sitting together but the man who was sitting next to her was nice enough to give up his seat so that we could sit together. Little did we know what was a head of us.
The guys sitting behind us were pretty happy before take-off. They were chatting up the flight attendant which led me to believe they were already tipsy. They proceeded to order two or three vodkas at a time. The attendant kept brining them their drinks with no questions asked. They were loud and shouting. It seems like we had the trifecta of terrible passengers seated all around us. Next to me was a very sick woman who kept coughing, I assumed it was the swine flu. Next to her was her cranky toddler who kept crying. And then there were the drunks. To top it off the audio system for the plane's entertainment system did not work so we had no audio for the movies that were played.
The attendants eventually cut off the guys sitting behind us which upset one of them. He started banging his drink tray up against the back of Maria's seat and then started patting her head. I went and told the attendants and they led us straight into first class! So awesome, we were actually able to sleep a good four hours in comfort.
We arrived in London at around noon. Walking through the airport we passed by a currency exchange place and noticed that the exchange rate was 1.49:1. Yikes! We were kind of freaked out about how hard it was going to be to stretch our dollars on this vacation. After picking up our bags we made our way onto the tube. There were lots of stairs and escalators to deal with. Not so easy with two bags a piece. But we made it and Anthony picked us up at the Angel Metro station. We walked quite a ways back to his apartment and were exhausted. But we didn't want to waste any time so we headed to lunch. We went to a really cute Mediterranean place, had some wine and food and Gianluca met up with us. It was nice catching up with those two. I feel like Anthony and I can just swing back into our friendship so easily! Anthony has nicknamed Maria, Prima, because he says that in all my e-mails to him I never mentioned her name.
After lunch, we headed out for some sight-seeing. First stop, Buckingham Palace! What a sight. The gardens surrounding the palace were gorgeous and beautifully manicured. It's so strange to think that the idea of royalty still exists in this world. And that someone gets to live in such a place of grandeur. We didn't get to take a tour, though, they only do those in the summer. On the bus ride back, I fell asleep. The jet lag had really hit me and my exhaustion felt like a ton of bricks on my chest.
The jet lag only got worse. Anthony made a booking at a nice bar and hurried us out the door but I was nauseous the whole way over there. And despite my best attempts at perking up via sparkling water, I had to take a cab back home. I spent the night taking naps and waking up to Londoners in other flats partying to cumbia music (surprising here in London), "Welcome to the Jungle," Lady Gaga and "Ice Ice Baby". The group didn't come home til after 2 in the am and I was feeling better at that point so I got up to hear stories from their night out.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
SXSW Mania
Yep, it's that time again. SXSW Fever is in full swing here in the ATX. There have been a slieu of RSVP's inundating the ol' e-mail inbox. I'm an RSVP maniac and will pimp out my e-mail address to any and all that will have me at their free parties. I've done a poor job of keeping up with everything I've RSVP'ed, too, though.
Now comes the time to get serious, though, and figure out where I'm gonna be when. There are a few bands I am really interested in checking out.
American Analog Set
Peter, Bjorn and John
Camera Obscura
Luckily they're playing some free parties that I'm willing to endure the long lines to get into.
And, as an added bonus, I was lucky enough to win an Interactive badge this year. The interactive fest is a techie/nerd's paradise. There are some interesting panels this year, I plan to attend a few of them. But more importantly, there's a ton of parties with free booze and food! Woot!
Now comes the time to get serious, though, and figure out where I'm gonna be when. There are a few bands I am really interested in checking out.
American Analog Set
Peter, Bjorn and John
Camera Obscura
Luckily they're playing some free parties that I'm willing to endure the long lines to get into.
And, as an added bonus, I was lucky enough to win an Interactive badge this year. The interactive fest is a techie/nerd's paradise. There are some interesting panels this year, I plan to attend a few of them. But more importantly, there's a ton of parties with free booze and food! Woot!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Achoo Achoo!
Yesterday I had to call in sick for the first time in the new year. My allergies have been bothering me for about a week now, but it's to be expected. Cedar season has decended upon Austin. So, that annoying little tingle in the back of my nose didn't seem out of the ordinary. But the symptoms started to get worse. More sneezing, more runny nose, intense sinus pressure. It all came to a climax on Tuesday night. My nose was stuffed and my face felt like it was going to explode. I went and bought Sudafed and then told the pharmacist I needed Benadry as well. She looked confused and asked if the Benadryl was for my allergies. I said, yes. And she said they had better stuff for allergies, like Claritin and Zyrtec. And after taking a few seconds to look at me she realized, "Ah, you just want to sleep!" Yep, gimme the Benadryl so I can knock myself out.
Unfortunately, Benadryl makes me really really loopy. Even after sleeping for 7 hours, I woke up on Wednesday feeling like a space cadet. My nose was still running, my sinus pressure hadn't gone anywhere and now I sounded like a frog. So I called in and slept all day. My room mate thought I had more than just allergies, maybe the flu or a cold. But I don't think so. I think it was just Cedar taking it's toll. Sometimes I wonder if these allergy shots (that I've now been on for about a year and a half) are doing me any good at all. But then I remember the days when I'd get sick right before Christmas and stay sick all the way past New Year's. The days when I couldn't breathe out of either nostril, where I'd get sinus infections that would turn into upper respiratory infections and I'd have to be on antibiotics. That's when I figure that one day of feeling like miserable scum isn't so bad afterall and I should probably thank my allergist for helping me come this far.
I'm back at work today, still with a runny nose, and hoarse throat, but I can function like a normal human being again. :)
Unfortunately, Benadryl makes me really really loopy. Even after sleeping for 7 hours, I woke up on Wednesday feeling like a space cadet. My nose was still running, my sinus pressure hadn't gone anywhere and now I sounded like a frog. So I called in and slept all day. My room mate thought I had more than just allergies, maybe the flu or a cold. But I don't think so. I think it was just Cedar taking it's toll. Sometimes I wonder if these allergy shots (that I've now been on for about a year and a half) are doing me any good at all. But then I remember the days when I'd get sick right before Christmas and stay sick all the way past New Year's. The days when I couldn't breathe out of either nostril, where I'd get sinus infections that would turn into upper respiratory infections and I'd have to be on antibiotics. That's when I figure that one day of feeling like miserable scum isn't so bad afterall and I should probably thank my allergist for helping me come this far.
I'm back at work today, still with a runny nose, and hoarse throat, but I can function like a normal human being again. :)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
One Helluva Day!
Yesterday I went into the doctor's office for my routine allergy immunotherapy injection. I've been doing this for almost two years now so I'd grown used to the routine. Sometimes I'd get sneezy, sometimes I'd get a huge hive in the spot where I got the injection, once my face even turned as red as a tomato but a little Benadryl took care of that. Yesterday, though, got a little crazy!
I waited the customary 30 minutes in the office after getting my shots but then I started sneezing ucontrollably, my face got hot, and my eyes got swollen. Since I was still at the office I asked to see the nurse but bumped into my allergist on the way. He looked concerned and ordered a shot of epinephrine right away. Let me tell you: that stuff is cray! They told me it'd make me jittery and they weren't kidding. Then they gave me Benadryl which makes me seriously drowsy. I had two nurses taking my vitals and the doctor listening to my lungs. Being prone to anxiety attacks I was worried at first that this Epi shot would send me into freak out mode, but the staff was very attentive and that helped. After sitting in an observation room for twenty minutes and my congestion still not subsiding the doctor gave me three Prednisone. That did the trick in ten minutes but the nurse warned that it would increase my appetite. My reaction: awesome (because overeating is exactly what I need to be doing right now)! I decided to take myself home since I wasn't sure what to expect from the combo of these three meds and I slept a good long while.
Luckily, I got up around 2, and although still feeling a little spacey I was able to bake the cake I'd promised for a friend's birthday. It was Cody's birthday and he, Jessica and I had decided to have a Scrabble throwdown. Super Nerds in the house! Jessica got together a special activity for us to do while snacking on our awesome Costco pizza:
(nevermind the religious overtones of this photo)
Cody got done with his page rather quickly, even though he added some pizzazz by adding an American flag and fireworks to the background (not pictured here). Although you can't see it clearly, but the beer Jarrett is drinking, Old Chub, became the unsung hero of the evening providing lots of good laughs by way of one liner advertisements that could work for the strong brew.
The Scrabble match was intensified. But Cody came out the winner narrowly edging me out of the top spot by four measley points. I decided to be a good sport about it since it was his birthday.
Madelyn, Cody's wife, was able to join us after her class and we all joined in for a round of Happy Birthday for Cody. Despite Jessica shouting in the middle of our Scrabble match that "The cake [was] gonna suck ass!" I think everyone agreed that it was rather tasty, so was the Napoleon ice cream. :) The birthday gathering really reminded me of something right outta 5th grade: pizza, soda pop, cake, ice cream, and Old Chub! Awesome!!!
The Ready Whip we busted out led to jokes about... You guessed it: Whip Its! Jessica yelled out, "Jarrett, we wanna learn how to huff!" Being the good sport that he is, Jarrett, or more accurately, Jarrett's brain cells took one for the team:
Which led to my favorite Old Chub ad of the evening: When life leads you to huffing, Old Chub!
Here are the mostly finished products from our Obama coloring fest:
Clockwise going from the top left: Jarrett, Cody, Jessica, and mine which Jarrett dubbed the Braveheart Obama.
Good times!
I waited the customary 30 minutes in the office after getting my shots but then I started sneezing ucontrollably, my face got hot, and my eyes got swollen. Since I was still at the office I asked to see the nurse but bumped into my allergist on the way. He looked concerned and ordered a shot of epinephrine right away. Let me tell you: that stuff is cray! They told me it'd make me jittery and they weren't kidding. Then they gave me Benadryl which makes me seriously drowsy. I had two nurses taking my vitals and the doctor listening to my lungs. Being prone to anxiety attacks I was worried at first that this Epi shot would send me into freak out mode, but the staff was very attentive and that helped. After sitting in an observation room for twenty minutes and my congestion still not subsiding the doctor gave me three Prednisone. That did the trick in ten minutes but the nurse warned that it would increase my appetite. My reaction: awesome (because overeating is exactly what I need to be doing right now)! I decided to take myself home since I wasn't sure what to expect from the combo of these three meds and I slept a good long while.
Luckily, I got up around 2, and although still feeling a little spacey I was able to bake the cake I'd promised for a friend's birthday. It was Cody's birthday and he, Jessica and I had decided to have a Scrabble throwdown. Super Nerds in the house! Jessica got together a special activity for us to do while snacking on our awesome Costco pizza:
(nevermind the religious overtones of this photo)
Cody got done with his page rather quickly, even though he added some pizzazz by adding an American flag and fireworks to the background (not pictured here). Although you can't see it clearly, but the beer Jarrett is drinking, Old Chub, became the unsung hero of the evening providing lots of good laughs by way of one liner advertisements that could work for the strong brew.
The Scrabble match was intensified. But Cody came out the winner narrowly edging me out of the top spot by four measley points. I decided to be a good sport about it since it was his birthday.
Madelyn, Cody's wife, was able to join us after her class and we all joined in for a round of Happy Birthday for Cody. Despite Jessica shouting in the middle of our Scrabble match that "The cake [was] gonna suck ass!" I think everyone agreed that it was rather tasty, so was the Napoleon ice cream. :) The birthday gathering really reminded me of something right outta 5th grade: pizza, soda pop, cake, ice cream, and Old Chub! Awesome!!!
The Ready Whip we busted out led to jokes about... You guessed it: Whip Its! Jessica yelled out, "Jarrett, we wanna learn how to huff!" Being the good sport that he is, Jarrett, or more accurately, Jarrett's brain cells took one for the team:
Which led to my favorite Old Chub ad of the evening: When life leads you to huffing, Old Chub!
Here are the mostly finished products from our Obama coloring fest:
Clockwise going from the top left: Jarrett, Cody, Jessica, and mine which Jarrett dubbed the Braveheart Obama.
Good times!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Game Night!
Last night the Roberts's hosted game night for a few of us. I love board games so I was way into it. I got there first so I went right to preparing some pizza dip for snacking:
Pizza Dip:
1 block cream cheese (I substituted Neufchatel to save on calories and fat)
3 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 cup Pizza or plain Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
Add the Italian Seasoning to the cream cheese, mix well and heat in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Add the pizza sauce on top then sprinkle the cheese on last.
Put back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
Serve with crackers, bagel chips (I bought garlic flavored ones) or a French baguette. I think the crackers and the baguette were the biggest hits of the night. Jessica brought over some hummus, 'cause you know, that's a big hit among white people. Good call!
Tobi and Jessica got there shortly after and Tobi sat in for Madelyn on an intensified Jenga match. I love the Jenga and was there to help offer suggestions to both players. Jenga as a spectator sport is almost as fun as playing the game! I'm not sure who won, I just remember hearing the crash.
We then played a couple of rounds of Scattergories but the highlight of the night for me was Taboo. I LOVE THAT GAME! The match was pretty intense and our team ended up losing by two darn points. Le bummer! But, we're definitely scheduling another game night soon. And maybe next time I'll try my hand at Settlers of Catan, even though it seems like it requires too much strategery for my pea-sized brain.
(I'm really glad we're bringing Taboo back!)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
A Question of Conscience
My brother asked me to be Aramelle's (my niece) godmother a while back. Only problem is I'm not eligible because I haven't gone through all the Catholic sacraments. Neither has my brother. So, I decided to sign up for religious initiation classes so that I could be confirmed. I thought it'd be a nice way for me to bond with my brother, who also signed up for the classes, and a way to get closer to my niece.
Wednesdays are Bible school night. And for the most part I've been able to attend classes and listen in a constructive manner. I've taken it more as a religious education class as opposed to what I assume most of the other participants are getting out of it, which is a deeper understanding and profession of thier faith. But, this Sunday we have to take part in an Acceptance Ceremony and go in front of the whole congregation and formally accept the Catholic faith as our own. While going over the schedule, one of the facilitators made a comment that sent me into freak out mode. She said, "so this is it, if this isn't for you, now's your chance to turn tail and run!"She laughed as she said it, and so did everyone else, but at that moment I saw myself not coming back to class. I felt like a fraud and questioned whether or not I could keep coming to class.
I've always had a "to each his own" standpoint when it came to religion. That is, if you believe in a God and follow a faith, then your beliefs are what follow you in death. Up until this point, though, I guess I'd classify myself as an agnostic. And now I fear that going up in front of this congregation, professing a belief in a faith (which I still don't consider my own) is now going to commit me to its tenets for all eternity. I know it's a little dramatic, but I'm having real question of conscience moment.
Wednesdays are Bible school night. And for the most part I've been able to attend classes and listen in a constructive manner. I've taken it more as a religious education class as opposed to what I assume most of the other participants are getting out of it, which is a deeper understanding and profession of thier faith. But, this Sunday we have to take part in an Acceptance Ceremony and go in front of the whole congregation and formally accept the Catholic faith as our own. While going over the schedule, one of the facilitators made a comment that sent me into freak out mode. She said, "so this is it, if this isn't for you, now's your chance to turn tail and run!"She laughed as she said it, and so did everyone else, but at that moment I saw myself not coming back to class. I felt like a fraud and questioned whether or not I could keep coming to class.
I've always had a "to each his own" standpoint when it came to religion. That is, if you believe in a God and follow a faith, then your beliefs are what follow you in death. Up until this point, though, I guess I'd classify myself as an agnostic. And now I fear that going up in front of this congregation, professing a belief in a faith (which I still don't consider my own) is now going to commit me to its tenets for all eternity. I know it's a little dramatic, but I'm having real question of conscience moment.
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