Feeling Fuzzy
Rule #1 about getting over jet-lag is that you DO NOT take a nap during the day that you arrive at your destination. You're supposed to stay up until the normal bedtime to make sure your body is exposed to daylight and to help your internal clock to be reset. Despite this, we had about a four hour nap yesterday. We tried to stay busy by returning the rental car, going to the grocery store, and starting to unpack, but we were dead tired and soon succumbed to the enticement of our moldy bedroom. When we finally were able to drag ourselves back out of bed, it was 4:30 and dark outside. Oops... so much for being exposed to ample daylight.
To make up for it, we stayed up until about 10:00 by finishing unpacking, writing a few e-mails, making a couple of phone calls and watching one of our long-waiting lovefilm DVDs, "Dawn of the Dead" (the 2004 remake). I took two Excedrin PMs before bed to make sure I slept through the night without waking up every couple of hours. They worked, but apparently I didn't need to do that because Kristen slept through the night just like I did.
Despite having slept for 11 hours, we feel pretty fuzzy today. Sort of like you feel when you have the flu (minus all of the pain, fever, and congestion). Today we will be very firm on the "No Nap" rule. It is New Year's Eve today, of course, and to be "cool" (or at least feel like you have a life), you're supposed to "do something". Everyone always asks, "What are you doing for New Year's?" I was thinking we would get a cheap bottle of champagne and go watch fireworks somewhere, but, to be honest, I don't think we'll make it until midnight. If we had gotten home on the 29th, as per our original itinerary stated, we might not be so tired today (which brings the narrative neatly up to what happened during our return from Oregon).
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Our flight from Portland on the 28th left at 6:20am, so J-Mom (the saint that she is)took us to the airport at 3:45am to get there by 4:30 for international check-in. We checked in very quickly and without complications. The agent was VERY nice and even rounded down by one pound the weight of one of our bags to fit in under the 70 lbs regulation (gotta love Continental's customer service). Then we took our luggage to the TSA checkpoint to be x-rayed. Three bags went through without molestation, but one of our big suitcases was opened up so they could check the beer bottles. We got through security with no trouble apart from the usual removal of belt, shoes, jacket, etc.
We arrived in Houston at about 12:00 noon, local time, and started killing time of the 3 hour plus lay-over. Sequestered in the waiting area of one of the unused gates, we nursed ourselves with Starbucks products, had lunch, read magazines, people-watched, and so on. About an hour and a half before the scheduled boarding time, Kristen just happened to be walking by our gate and heard an announcement. The flight was oversold, so they were looking for volunteers to fly the next day in exchange for a $500 flight voucher per person, free night's stay at a hotel, and $60 worth of meal vouchers ($10 per person for the three "meal times" we would encounter during our delay). She quickly came back to our spot at the other gate and told me about it, so we rushed over to talk to our gate agent. The vouchers are valid for one year for any Continental (or partner) flight. We just had to stay the night in Houston at the Wyndham Hotel, then take a two-leg flight the next day, via Newark. Our checked bags would stay at the airport, so we would only need to check in and go through security the next morning. Very enticing, but not an easy decision to make. We told her we would think about it and get back to her.
Though we were reluctant to extend our travel time by an entire day, we had a hard time thinking of a reason why we could turn down $1000. There was nothing pressing we needed to get back for and, really, what's the harm in staying in Houston for a night with all expenses paid. So, we went for it. The overseas leg was from Newark at 6:40pm on the 29th and there were two flights from Houston to Newark to choose from. The later one only left an hour between connections. The flight that we had just opted out of was already delayed by 30 minutes, so we decided to go with the earlier flight to Newark despite having another 3-hour lay-over. We also made sure to have our seats booked ahead of time: emergency row, dammit!
After getting all of that organized, we caught the shuttle to the airport Wyndham Hotel with our vouchers in hand. We assumed it would be some low-end hotel, clean but no frills. The Wyndham was not only a "nice", newish hotel, but they put us in a suite... with TWO TVs even! We had dinner in the hotel restaurant which actually wasn't too bad, so we spent two of our three $20 meal vouchers on that meal. Since we had opted for the earlier flight from Houston, we had one meal voucher too many. So... a nice dinner, a comfy king-size bed, and trashy American TV... we were well-rested for the next day's travel. Much more than we were for our flight from Portland.
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The 30th... We checked out of the hotel at 8:30am and took the shuttle back to the airport. This time the check-in didn't go as smoothly. We tried the "e-Check-IN" and there was some problem with my passport scanning in. The machine was treating me as though I needed a visa to travel to the UK. An agent ended up checking us in manually. Then when we went through security, they told me my ticket was flagged for "special security security screening", denoted by SSSS printed on it. Why I was selected, I have no idea. We were diverted to a security blockade at an entirely different part of the terminal which we had to walk through a parking garage to get to which made me wonder if I actually would get a body cavity search. To my relief, they only made me take off my shoes and belt and then submit to being questioned, groped, scanned, and having my carry-ons examined while Kristen waited patiently on the other side of the blockade. It took all of my resolve to stop myself from making several jokes about how thorough they were being with me.
On the way to our gate we joked about the scenario that every flight would be oversold and how we could then have so many vouchers that we wouldn't be able to use them within a year. This turned out to not be much of a joke because 10 minutes before boarding they made another announcement offering $300 per person and meal vouchers to take a flight the next day, but preferably someone who did not have a connection in Newark. That saved us from weighing that option too seriously.
BUT, when we got to Newark and had waited at our gate for a couple of hours, they made yet another announcement that the flight was oversold. They must do this a lot during the holidays because I heard the same thing for several other flights at the terminal. This time they were offering the $500 vouchers (because it was for an international flight) and a night's stay in Newark. We were REALLY tempted, but decided against it because we were would rather get home than to add another 24 hours to our journey and have to wear the same clothes yet again. But maybe we should have anyway. After all, that's $2000 of vouchers! Then again, we're pretty relieved to be home.
We landed in Gatwick at 6:40am yesterday and got through immigration and customs without any problems. Our other big suitcase had been opened by TSA in the US, again to check the beer bottles. One of the bottles had been taped over with their security tape and there were two notices placed in the suitcase; one stating that the bag had been searched and another stating that they had removed a "flammable item" from the bag. I KNEW the bag felt lighter! They stole my bottle of Techron (a fuel additive from Chevron that you can buy in sealed bottle form)! I had planned a couple of months ago to buy that and bring it back here for the BMW, but now some TSA is probably putting it in his own gas-tank! Argh! On the bright side, everything else that we packed made it over.
It is cheaper to rent a car than to park your own car in long-term parking or take a train, coach, or shuttle from the airport to Norwich, so that's what we did. For 37.99 pounds, 11.39 pounds worth of petrol, and 2.5 hours of driving time, we were back in Norwich with ease. OK, maybe not that easy. It's not a real treat to drive for nearly 3 hours after being up for almost 24 hours (not counting the travel on the 28th), but still something we will repeat should we ever have to fly into Gatwick again.
Whew! This is a long blog entry! I better go. Kristen is dangerously close to taking a nap on the couch right now. I need to make sure she stays awake!
-RP-
Friday, December 31
Thursday, December 30
Sunday, December 26
Well, our little vacation is drawing to a close. It's been fun, but a bit hectic. I've gained three pounds as of today, so it's maybe a good thing the holidays are over. Have to get back on my bicycle when we get back to Norwich.
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Christmas was festive and full of gifts. The poor tree was almost dwarfed by the amount of presents underneath it. According to Kristen and Jenna, this was the most presents in recent memory. We've got a lot of new kitchen utensils and other useful items to bring back!
The Catholic Mass on Christmas Eve was an interesting experience. Though I am far from being religious, I'm always intrigued by religious customs. It was enlightening to be a part of this, despite feeling grossly out of place and a bit overwhelmed by the in-unison responses to the priest's sermon. Kristen and Jenna were as flumoxed as I was, I think. At the beginning of the service, as everyone was arriving, people were so noisy. It sounded like a cafeteria in there! Even I was a little appalled at this. It just seemed like people should have had a little more decorum, but that's just me.
Christmas dinner (on the 25th) was divine. We ate around 4:30 in the afternoon. The meal was cooked by J-Mom, Kristen, Jenna, and I. Before Mass, on Christmas Eve, I injected the turkey with homemade marinade, something you usually do when you are going to deep-fry the turkey. However, we cooked this turkey in an oven bag. Now, I have been swearing for years that the ONLY way to get a juicy, succulent turkey is to deep-fry it (not as greasy as it sounds, by the way). I have now seen how wrong I was. J-Mom's oven-bag method worked wonders! Definitely a great alernative to the hassle of dealing with 4 gallons of peanut oil and an outdoor cooker. But I digress... in addition to the turkey we also had honey-glazed ham, sweet-potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, homemade gravy, mustard sauce, cranberry sauce (whole and gelatinous), and deviled eggs. We had brought some "Christmas Crackers" from England which we pulled before dinner, so we could all wear the silly paper crowns while we ate. No dessert on the menu, but I did steam a small English Christmas Pudding which three of us shared. Not bad. A lot of raisins in that thing, though!
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We had leftovers tonight and earlier today for lunch. Kristen and J-Mom made the pumpkin pie which was supposed to be for yesterday. They had decided to make it tomorrow, but I lobbied steadily for it to be made today and they conceded.
Tomorrow is packing day. We have a lot of errands to run. Need to go to the storage room and Borders (for Kristen to use a gift certificate). We're going to try to squeeze in a lunch at Markum Inn which was our "last meal" here before we moved to Belgium a little over a year ago. It might be the last time we can go to it because J-Mom and Jake are moving from Aurora. Anyway, I hope we can fit all of our crap into the suitcases and still be within the weight limit (70lbs MAX).
We fly out at 6:20am on the 28th. Have to be at the airport at 4:00am. Sheesh! We arrive in London at around 9:00am on the 29th. Then we have to pick up our rental car and drive to Norwich. We are going to be some tired little bastards!
-RP-
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Christmas was festive and full of gifts. The poor tree was almost dwarfed by the amount of presents underneath it. According to Kristen and Jenna, this was the most presents in recent memory. We've got a lot of new kitchen utensils and other useful items to bring back!
The Catholic Mass on Christmas Eve was an interesting experience. Though I am far from being religious, I'm always intrigued by religious customs. It was enlightening to be a part of this, despite feeling grossly out of place and a bit overwhelmed by the in-unison responses to the priest's sermon. Kristen and Jenna were as flumoxed as I was, I think. At the beginning of the service, as everyone was arriving, people were so noisy. It sounded like a cafeteria in there! Even I was a little appalled at this. It just seemed like people should have had a little more decorum, but that's just me.
Christmas dinner (on the 25th) was divine. We ate around 4:30 in the afternoon. The meal was cooked by J-Mom, Kristen, Jenna, and I. Before Mass, on Christmas Eve, I injected the turkey with homemade marinade, something you usually do when you are going to deep-fry the turkey. However, we cooked this turkey in an oven bag. Now, I have been swearing for years that the ONLY way to get a juicy, succulent turkey is to deep-fry it (not as greasy as it sounds, by the way). I have now seen how wrong I was. J-Mom's oven-bag method worked wonders! Definitely a great alernative to the hassle of dealing with 4 gallons of peanut oil and an outdoor cooker. But I digress... in addition to the turkey we also had honey-glazed ham, sweet-potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, homemade gravy, mustard sauce, cranberry sauce (whole and gelatinous), and deviled eggs. We had brought some "Christmas Crackers" from England which we pulled before dinner, so we could all wear the silly paper crowns while we ate. No dessert on the menu, but I did steam a small English Christmas Pudding which three of us shared. Not bad. A lot of raisins in that thing, though!
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We had leftovers tonight and earlier today for lunch. Kristen and J-Mom made the pumpkin pie which was supposed to be for yesterday. They had decided to make it tomorrow, but I lobbied steadily for it to be made today and they conceded.
Tomorrow is packing day. We have a lot of errands to run. Need to go to the storage room and Borders (for Kristen to use a gift certificate). We're going to try to squeeze in a lunch at Markum Inn which was our "last meal" here before we moved to Belgium a little over a year ago. It might be the last time we can go to it because J-Mom and Jake are moving from Aurora. Anyway, I hope we can fit all of our crap into the suitcases and still be within the weight limit (70lbs MAX).
We fly out at 6:20am on the 28th. Have to be at the airport at 4:00am. Sheesh! We arrive in London at around 9:00am on the 29th. Then we have to pick up our rental car and drive to Norwich. We are going to be some tired little bastards!
-RP-
Saturday, December 25
Wednesday, December 22
We're back in Aurora now (since yesterday afternoon). Kristen is out in the kitchen making several dozen Christmas cookies of varying caliber and ilk. Time-honored family recipes that are the cornerstone of her family's Christmas celebrations. Of course, I'm the lucky one who gets to taste them as they near completion. I've already gained one or two pounds on this vacation.
Last night I went to Hillsdale McMennamin's for a couple of beers with a friend I met through BeerAdvocate (his blog Rooftop is in the links section, below, on the right). We traded some homebrews and talked about beer, brewing, politics, our lives, etc. Admirably, he's not ready to give up on America and expatriate like we did (not yet anyway)!
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The trip to Eugene was fun. Where did I leave off? Oh yes, on Sunday we went to the Piccadilly Fleamarket (one or two Sundays per month). A whole lot of crap under one roof, but I'm sure there are some valuable things here and there. We didn't buy anything apart from an antique bowling pin. Kristen has now officially started a collection (we have two of them). They will be staying in our storage room for the moment! After the fleamarket, Dad'n'Bev took us for brunch at Marie Callender's. We left quite stuffed, swearing that we would never eat again.
On Monday, we drove up to Sisters, OR to visit Jim'n'Judy. Tom'n'Nancy, Kelsey'n'Brandon, Nanny, Kristen'n'I all piled into a big ol' SUV and made it up there in about 2 hours. Nice drive through the mountains, along the McKenzie River. A beautiful day in Sisters. Jim'n'Judy's house was packed with extended family. It was one of those family Christmas gatherings like you see in the movies: kids running around, babies being passed between relatives, the lads out front playing basketball and throwing a football, stuff like that. We took a walk to Judy's stables to see her Friesians and say hello to the new addition, Smoke [video] (a young stallion that we first met on our trip to The Netherlands). It's hard to tell these horses apart sometimes because being perfect examples of the breed, they are all perfectly black and sleek.
We all packed back into the SUV and returned to Eugene that evening. Nanny took us all to Applebee's for some good ol' American food. After dinner, Brandon and I played Playstation 2 for a little while. One day I'll have one of my own... one day...
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Looking forward to Christmas. On Friday evening we are going to Christmas mass. That should be interesting. I hope my heathen skin doesn't get flayed off as soon as I cross the threshhold!
-RP-
Last night I went to Hillsdale McMennamin's for a couple of beers with a friend I met through BeerAdvocate (his blog Rooftop is in the links section, below, on the right). We traded some homebrews and talked about beer, brewing, politics, our lives, etc. Admirably, he's not ready to give up on America and expatriate like we did (not yet anyway)!
---
The trip to Eugene was fun. Where did I leave off? Oh yes, on Sunday we went to the Piccadilly Fleamarket (one or two Sundays per month). A whole lot of crap under one roof, but I'm sure there are some valuable things here and there. We didn't buy anything apart from an antique bowling pin. Kristen has now officially started a collection (we have two of them). They will be staying in our storage room for the moment! After the fleamarket, Dad'n'Bev took us for brunch at Marie Callender's. We left quite stuffed, swearing that we would never eat again.
On Monday, we drove up to Sisters, OR to visit Jim'n'Judy. Tom'n'Nancy, Kelsey'n'Brandon, Nanny, Kristen'n'I all piled into a big ol' SUV and made it up there in about 2 hours. Nice drive through the mountains, along the McKenzie River. A beautiful day in Sisters. Jim'n'Judy's house was packed with extended family. It was one of those family Christmas gatherings like you see in the movies: kids running around, babies being passed between relatives, the lads out front playing basketball and throwing a football, stuff like that. We took a walk to Judy's stables to see her Friesians and say hello to the new addition, Smoke [video] (a young stallion that we first met on our trip to The Netherlands). It's hard to tell these horses apart sometimes because being perfect examples of the breed, they are all perfectly black and sleek.
We all packed back into the SUV and returned to Eugene that evening. Nanny took us all to Applebee's for some good ol' American food. After dinner, Brandon and I played Playstation 2 for a little while. One day I'll have one of my own... one day...
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Looking forward to Christmas. On Friday evening we are going to Christmas mass. That should be interesting. I hope my heathen skin doesn't get flayed off as soon as I cross the threshhold!
-RP-
Saturday, December 18
Thanks to Starbucks, we have been able to ease the burden of jet-lag. There is one Starbucks in Norwich. But they are peppered across the US landscape like gas-stations. Some free-standing, some inside supermarkets, others with a drive-thru. All shilling highly caffeinated designer beverages with exotic names like Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato or Grande Chai Tea Latte. We're here in America, so we dove directly into the consumerism. Just easier that way!
We're currently in Eugene, at Nanny's house. Drove down here yesterday after I was finished bottling my aged barley-wine and cider (both of which I am VERY happy with, I might add... I can't believe I brewed that!). Anyway, after going to Old Navy to stock up on some clothing that isn't too small for me (as it has been in England and Belgium), Nanny took us to BJ's Brewhouse for dinner. Some good ol' tasty American fare, we each had the "Giant Stuffed Potato", mine of course accompanied by a pint of brewpub beer. My belly was about to burst by the time we left.
Today we spent the day with Kristen's Dad and Stepmom. Went to the 5th Street Market which is where we bought the rings we are wearing. It was the same jeweler, so we told her we had gotten married and still live in Europe. She polished our rings and reformed mine a bit because it had gotten a little bent when I smashed it against the metal buckle on this huge wooden trunk in our apartment in Belgium. She was jealous that we had escaped the Bush regime (a comment she had made the first time we were there). We talked a little bit about our favorite conspiracy theories regarding the Ohio ballots and about how a lot of people got upset about Bush getting a second term but now no one is talking about it anymore, you just don't hear about it. Anyway, probably the "coolest" jeweler we know (we don't know many). She must have been an "ex-hippie". She has that vibe about her.
After a dose of window-shopping, we went back to Dad'n'Bev's house and relaxed for the afternoon. Took a walk by the river. Had Christmas cookes and some other snacks. Now we're back at Nanny's vegging out in front of the tube. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is on in a little while, so we'll definitely watch that. It's not Christmas unless you watch Christmas Vacation.
"Tis the season to be Mary!"
Tomorrow we'll be spending the day with Dad'n'Bev again. Going to Picadilly Fleamarket and then to brunch.
-RP-
We're currently in Eugene, at Nanny's house. Drove down here yesterday after I was finished bottling my aged barley-wine and cider (both of which I am VERY happy with, I might add... I can't believe I brewed that!). Anyway, after going to Old Navy to stock up on some clothing that isn't too small for me (as it has been in England and Belgium), Nanny took us to BJ's Brewhouse for dinner. Some good ol' tasty American fare, we each had the "Giant Stuffed Potato", mine of course accompanied by a pint of brewpub beer. My belly was about to burst by the time we left.
Today we spent the day with Kristen's Dad and Stepmom. Went to the 5th Street Market which is where we bought the rings we are wearing. It was the same jeweler, so we told her we had gotten married and still live in Europe. She polished our rings and reformed mine a bit because it had gotten a little bent when I smashed it against the metal buckle on this huge wooden trunk in our apartment in Belgium. She was jealous that we had escaped the Bush regime (a comment she had made the first time we were there). We talked a little bit about our favorite conspiracy theories regarding the Ohio ballots and about how a lot of people got upset about Bush getting a second term but now no one is talking about it anymore, you just don't hear about it. Anyway, probably the "coolest" jeweler we know (we don't know many). She must have been an "ex-hippie". She has that vibe about her.
After a dose of window-shopping, we went back to Dad'n'Bev's house and relaxed for the afternoon. Took a walk by the river. Had Christmas cookes and some other snacks. Now we're back at Nanny's vegging out in front of the tube. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is on in a little while, so we'll definitely watch that. It's not Christmas unless you watch Christmas Vacation.
"Tis the season to be Mary!"
Tomorrow we'll be spending the day with Dad'n'Bev again. Going to Picadilly Fleamarket and then to brunch.
-RP-
Wednesday, December 15
We arrived in Portland yesterday at about 8:15pm. By the time we got to Aurora and hit the sack, we had been up for nearly 25 hours straight. A long day, but I vaguely remember us floating over Greenland on the way over the Atlantic. I went out like the proverbial light, but Kristen couldn't fall asleep right away. That's normally the case. I can usually sleep through anything (except daylight). We both woke up around 5:30am, but willed ourselves back to sleep for another two hours.
First order of the day was to go to an American supermarket/department store to stock up. It was great to again be in a true haven of capitalist virtue. We loaded up on caffeine at the Starbucks INSIDE the department store, then went down each aisle of the supermarket "division", loading up on all the various things we had been missing (like Quaker Oat Squares and NW microbrews).
Another craving we'd been having in the weeks leading up to this trip was for Taco Bell, a craving we ended up taking care of today as well. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, it was a less-than-sensational taste experience. Sometimes you hit a Taco Bell that just doesn't put the burritos or whatever together correctly or it's lukewarm or overcooked. Today was one of those days, but it was still pretty good.
Jake invited me to go with him to fly his Cessna from the Aurora airfield to Lenhart's (sp?). The plane had been repaired for a problem with one of the radios and now needed to go back to it's hangar. Of course, I jumped at this opportunity. Any time I can "head up there" with him, I'll do it! Lenhart's is only about 3 minutes from Aurora (by air), but we flew around for a bit first. Did a steep ascent to above the fog/smog layer and then a 70-80 degree turn or two, pulling a couple of Gs. Felt all of my internal organs sink into the soles of my feet. I don't know how fighter pilots do it without going unconscious! Even at 2-3 Gs, my peripheral vision started to flutter. Before we headed to Lenhart's, we flew over the house and I was able to take a picture of it.
Back on the homefront, the ladies of the house were decorating the christmas tree and drinking egg-nog. By the time we got back, they were done and relaxing in the living room. A beautiful tree and the house smells of pine-needles. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
I drove to Hubbard to have a quick rummage in our storage room, say hello to our stuff. Grabbed Kristen's Johnny Mathis Christmas CD, my Agneta Felskog Christmas tape, a box of assorted aged homebrews, and the serving line for the two 5-gallon kegs of beer that have been safely kept at the house. I plan to bottle them on Friday.
Kristen made Bruschetta and shrimp-salad for dinner tonight. A light meal to make up for our naughty lunch. Delicious!
-RP-
First order of the day was to go to an American supermarket/department store to stock up. It was great to again be in a true haven of capitalist virtue. We loaded up on caffeine at the Starbucks INSIDE the department store, then went down each aisle of the supermarket "division", loading up on all the various things we had been missing (like Quaker Oat Squares and NW microbrews).
Another craving we'd been having in the weeks leading up to this trip was for Taco Bell, a craving we ended up taking care of today as well. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, it was a less-than-sensational taste experience. Sometimes you hit a Taco Bell that just doesn't put the burritos or whatever together correctly or it's lukewarm or overcooked. Today was one of those days, but it was still pretty good.
Jake invited me to go with him to fly his Cessna from the Aurora airfield to Lenhart's (sp?). The plane had been repaired for a problem with one of the radios and now needed to go back to it's hangar. Of course, I jumped at this opportunity. Any time I can "head up there" with him, I'll do it! Lenhart's is only about 3 minutes from Aurora (by air), but we flew around for a bit first. Did a steep ascent to above the fog/smog layer and then a 70-80 degree turn or two, pulling a couple of Gs. Felt all of my internal organs sink into the soles of my feet. I don't know how fighter pilots do it without going unconscious! Even at 2-3 Gs, my peripheral vision started to flutter. Before we headed to Lenhart's, we flew over the house and I was able to take a picture of it.
Back on the homefront, the ladies of the house were decorating the christmas tree and drinking egg-nog. By the time we got back, they were done and relaxing in the living room. A beautiful tree and the house smells of pine-needles. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
I drove to Hubbard to have a quick rummage in our storage room, say hello to our stuff. Grabbed Kristen's Johnny Mathis Christmas CD, my Agneta Felskog Christmas tape, a box of assorted aged homebrews, and the serving line for the two 5-gallon kegs of beer that have been safely kept at the house. I plan to bottle them on Friday.
Kristen made Bruschetta and shrimp-salad for dinner tonight. A light meal to make up for our naughty lunch. Delicious!
-RP-
Monday, December 13
Our tentative itinerary for the Oregon trip:
-Arrive Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 7:55pm PDX (Continental Airlines, from Houston) and to be picked up by Kristen's sister.
-In Aurora from Dec. 14-17
-Drive to Eugene on Friday Dec. 17 to stay at Nanny's from Dec. 17-20.
-Drive to Sisters (a city in Oregon, to the unitiated) for the day on Monday, Dec. 20 with Tom & Nancy.
-Back in Aurora Dec. 21-28 for Christmas
-Depart Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 6:20am from PDX.
-Arrive in London/Gatwick at 6:55am on Dec. 29th
-Arrive Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 7:55pm PDX (Continental Airlines, from Houston) and to be picked up by Kristen's sister.
-In Aurora from Dec. 14-17
-Drive to Eugene on Friday Dec. 17 to stay at Nanny's from Dec. 17-20.
-Drive to Sisters (a city in Oregon, to the unitiated) for the day on Monday, Dec. 20 with Tom & Nancy.
-Back in Aurora Dec. 21-28 for Christmas
-Depart Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 6:20am from PDX.
-Arrive in London/Gatwick at 6:55am on Dec. 29th
This Past Weekend
My dad has been in Denmark since October, on business. We had asked him to come visit us sometime before he flew back to Florida. He'd been so busy in Denmark that he wasn't able to leave until this past week. So he booked a ticket through London with a 48 hour stop-over. Originally, the plan was for him to come up to Norwich, but it proved to be too complicated so I decided to go down to London to meet him.
Actually, I was going to go to London anyway because I had been planning for about a month to go to the Digital Futures seminar at the National Film Theatre (a seminar focusing on the digital future of cinema with comparisons of 16mm, 35mm, and digital projection, then a panel discussion). I'm going to write my MA dissertation about this subject area, so this was to be part of my research. I had a couple of questions prepared that I wanted to ask the panel. Anyway, as fate would have it, my dad was flying in on the same day as this seminar. I booked two tickets so I could take him along.
The plan was to pick him up from the airport (Gatwick), go to the seminar, then check in at a hotel in London. His flight (Maersk DM205 from Billund, Denmark) was due in at 12:55. That would give us about two hours to get to the National Film Theatre. It takes about two and a half hours to drive to Gatwick from Norwich, so I left at 10:00am, too early to check the flight information since it hadn't even left Denmark yet. I arrived at Gatwick at 12:40. When he hadn't appeared by 13:30, I was starting to get concerned so I ran in to the terminal and checked the monitors: flight delayed, arrival at 13:51 (an hour delay!). Things were starting to look pretty grim, but if he made it out by about 14:00, then we might still make it. Mapquest quoted the drive time from Gatwick to be 47 minutes. The seminar was scheduled to start promptly at 15:00.
He didn't come out until 14:20. We quickly hugged "Hello", tossed his bags in the trunk, and took off. It was smooth sailing until we got inside the London Orbital (M25). I still had a glimmer of hope that we would make it, perhaps a bit late, but make it nonetheless.
When we were idling in traffic, nearly an hour later, I had lost all hope. Driving in London is NOT an option (see earlier post from today). We arrived at the NFT at 16:45. By then, I had given up on the seminar, but I wanted to see if there were any pamphlets handed out, so I went inside while my dad waited in the car, parked in a loading zone. The security guard told us we weren't allowed to stay there long and then went back into the warmth of his booth.
I asked the NFT box office if there were any pamphlets handed out for the seminar. They told me to ask one of the ushers when it ended (which was supposed to be 15 minutes later). I tried to go in just to stand in the back for the last bit, but the ushers stonewalled me. So, I went to pick up my tickets. OK, fine... you can sit over here in the back of the theatre. I watched about 5 minutes of a digital projection of The Wizard of Oz and then they brought up the panel of experts for questions. I stuck around for about 20 minutes, but I was concerned that my dad was getting hassled by the security guards (and he also had mentioned at the airport that he really needed to pee), so I left before it ended. It had already run over by about 30 minutes, so it was due to end any minute anyway.
I went back out to the car and we followed out Mapquest directions to the hotel near Hyde Park (a scheduled drive-time of 6 minutes). An hour later, we arrived and checked in. Oh, I forgot to mention that we were running dangerously low on gas by this point. Petrol stations are not abundant in London. Two strokes of good fortune, though: since it was a weekend, we could park on the residential street through Sunday (instead of paying 30 lbs. per day to park in a lot). Plus, we didn't have to pay the congestion fee for driving in central London because they only charge that Monday thru Friday.
After dumping our stuff in the hotel room, we went out to have dinner. We tried to go to a pub that I had been recommended but it was jam-packed, so we went to Cafe Rouge (a French restaurant chain). Pretty good food! Then we walked around a bit before heading back to the hotel. We stopped in the lobby bar to have a beer and I caught the last 20 minutes of the X-Factor results show (Steve/Simon Cowell won).
On Sunday we ambled around central London for the day: had full English Breakfasts for brunch; walked around Oxford, Bond, and Carnaby street; salivated over all the amazing new computers at the gigantic Apple store; bought chocolate from Charbonnel et Walker (my dad bought a massive amount of chocolate for Kristen and I); rode the Tube; took a breeze-through tour of the National Gallery (unfortunately, my favorite Caravaggio painting "The Supper at Emmaus" was at an exhibition in Naples); and stopped back at that pub from the night before (Churchill Arms) to have a pint. Then we went back to the hotel to pick up our bags, which we had checked in with the concierge. Then it was time to head to the petrol station and out of London.
We tanked up just fine. Then we tried to get out of London. It took us nearly two hours to get to Gatwick (a total of 36 miles)... again, I refer you to the earlier post about driving in London. I had planned to get on the road by 18:00 to go back to Norwich, so I wouldn't get home too late. I missed that deadline by an hour and a half. My dad checked in at the Gatwick Hilton and we headed over to McDonald's for a quick dinner. I didn't really have time for anything else.
Arrived in Norwich at 22:15... knackered beyond belief! But then I loaded Kristen up with all of the goodies my dad had brought from the US and Denmark, and the chocolates from London. Early Christmas! I'm looking forward to going through all of my grandfather's 8mm films (I asked my dad to bring them from Denmark). There were more than I realized (a prolific filmmaker, I guess)!
Despite the spirit-dampeningly large amount of fiascos over these past two days, I had a nice time with my dad. It was good to see him, even though it was just a quick trip. Now I just need to get my mom and sister over here for a visit. Well, 2005 is just around the corner.
Tomorrow, Kristen and I leave for Oregon. We'll be there until the 29th. One of my classmates offered to give us a ride to Gatwick (yep, back there again)... very generous of him, especially since we have to leave by 7am at the latest! We owe him big time!
-RP-
My dad has been in Denmark since October, on business. We had asked him to come visit us sometime before he flew back to Florida. He'd been so busy in Denmark that he wasn't able to leave until this past week. So he booked a ticket through London with a 48 hour stop-over. Originally, the plan was for him to come up to Norwich, but it proved to be too complicated so I decided to go down to London to meet him.
Actually, I was going to go to London anyway because I had been planning for about a month to go to the Digital Futures seminar at the National Film Theatre (a seminar focusing on the digital future of cinema with comparisons of 16mm, 35mm, and digital projection, then a panel discussion). I'm going to write my MA dissertation about this subject area, so this was to be part of my research. I had a couple of questions prepared that I wanted to ask the panel. Anyway, as fate would have it, my dad was flying in on the same day as this seminar. I booked two tickets so I could take him along.
The plan was to pick him up from the airport (Gatwick), go to the seminar, then check in at a hotel in London. His flight (Maersk DM205 from Billund, Denmark) was due in at 12:55. That would give us about two hours to get to the National Film Theatre. It takes about two and a half hours to drive to Gatwick from Norwich, so I left at 10:00am, too early to check the flight information since it hadn't even left Denmark yet. I arrived at Gatwick at 12:40. When he hadn't appeared by 13:30, I was starting to get concerned so I ran in to the terminal and checked the monitors: flight delayed, arrival at 13:51 (an hour delay!). Things were starting to look pretty grim, but if he made it out by about 14:00, then we might still make it. Mapquest quoted the drive time from Gatwick to be 47 minutes. The seminar was scheduled to start promptly at 15:00.
He didn't come out until 14:20. We quickly hugged "Hello", tossed his bags in the trunk, and took off. It was smooth sailing until we got inside the London Orbital (M25). I still had a glimmer of hope that we would make it, perhaps a bit late, but make it nonetheless.
When we were idling in traffic, nearly an hour later, I had lost all hope. Driving in London is NOT an option (see earlier post from today). We arrived at the NFT at 16:45. By then, I had given up on the seminar, but I wanted to see if there were any pamphlets handed out, so I went inside while my dad waited in the car, parked in a loading zone. The security guard told us we weren't allowed to stay there long and then went back into the warmth of his booth.
I asked the NFT box office if there were any pamphlets handed out for the seminar. They told me to ask one of the ushers when it ended (which was supposed to be 15 minutes later). I tried to go in just to stand in the back for the last bit, but the ushers stonewalled me. So, I went to pick up my tickets. OK, fine... you can sit over here in the back of the theatre. I watched about 5 minutes of a digital projection of The Wizard of Oz and then they brought up the panel of experts for questions. I stuck around for about 20 minutes, but I was concerned that my dad was getting hassled by the security guards (and he also had mentioned at the airport that he really needed to pee), so I left before it ended. It had already run over by about 30 minutes, so it was due to end any minute anyway.
I went back out to the car and we followed out Mapquest directions to the hotel near Hyde Park (a scheduled drive-time of 6 minutes). An hour later, we arrived and checked in. Oh, I forgot to mention that we were running dangerously low on gas by this point. Petrol stations are not abundant in London. Two strokes of good fortune, though: since it was a weekend, we could park on the residential street through Sunday (instead of paying 30 lbs. per day to park in a lot). Plus, we didn't have to pay the congestion fee for driving in central London because they only charge that Monday thru Friday.
After dumping our stuff in the hotel room, we went out to have dinner. We tried to go to a pub that I had been recommended but it was jam-packed, so we went to Cafe Rouge (a French restaurant chain). Pretty good food! Then we walked around a bit before heading back to the hotel. We stopped in the lobby bar to have a beer and I caught the last 20 minutes of the X-Factor results show (Steve/Simon Cowell won).
On Sunday we ambled around central London for the day: had full English Breakfasts for brunch; walked around Oxford, Bond, and Carnaby street; salivated over all the amazing new computers at the gigantic Apple store; bought chocolate from Charbonnel et Walker (my dad bought a massive amount of chocolate for Kristen and I); rode the Tube; took a breeze-through tour of the National Gallery (unfortunately, my favorite Caravaggio painting "The Supper at Emmaus" was at an exhibition in Naples); and stopped back at that pub from the night before (Churchill Arms) to have a pint. Then we went back to the hotel to pick up our bags, which we had checked in with the concierge. Then it was time to head to the petrol station and out of London.
We tanked up just fine. Then we tried to get out of London. It took us nearly two hours to get to Gatwick (a total of 36 miles)... again, I refer you to the earlier post about driving in London. I had planned to get on the road by 18:00 to go back to Norwich, so I wouldn't get home too late. I missed that deadline by an hour and a half. My dad checked in at the Gatwick Hilton and we headed over to McDonald's for a quick dinner. I didn't really have time for anything else.
Arrived in Norwich at 22:15... knackered beyond belief! But then I loaded Kristen up with all of the goodies my dad had brought from the US and Denmark, and the chocolates from London. Early Christmas! I'm looking forward to going through all of my grandfather's 8mm films (I asked my dad to bring them from Denmark). There were more than I realized (a prolific filmmaker, I guess)!
Despite the spirit-dampeningly large amount of fiascos over these past two days, I had a nice time with my dad. It was good to see him, even though it was just a quick trip. Now I just need to get my mom and sister over here for a visit. Well, 2005 is just around the corner.
Tomorrow, Kristen and I leave for Oregon. We'll be there until the 29th. One of my classmates offered to give us a ride to Gatwick (yep, back there again)... very generous of him, especially since we have to leave by 7am at the latest! We owe him big time!
-RP-
Driving in London
Don't do it. Avoid this at all costs. I would rather stick bamboo shoots under my fingernails than have to drive through London again. Seriously.
The city-planners need to be dragged naked through their twisting and turning streets, tarred and feathered, given paper-cuts one the webbing between their fingers, flogged with a garden hose, pelted with tomatoes, AND THEN shot! To get from point A to point B, you have to go via points Q, X, H, and Z.
It took us almost two hours to drive 36 miles from the Hyde Park area of London to Gatwick airport. And when we tried to go from the National Film Theatre to the hotel near Hyde Park (despite mapquest's directions saying it would take 6 minutes), it took us nearly an hour! This was not only because of the continuous switchbacks, jug-handles, one-way streets, roundabouts, and forced left or right turns, but also because of the grossly inadequate signage. What street is this? Is this the A23 or the A21? No, it's the A505. I don't see that on the map. So on and so on. You really need three heads (one to look where you're going, another to see where you've been, and a third to look at the map) and two sets of arms to successfully navigate (or perhaps a GPS would do it).
And then there's the traffic. London is worse than LA (at least LA's roads are laid out fairly sensibly). Laughably, they have dubbed most of central London a "Congestion Zone". This means that everyone who drives through there during business hours, has to pay 5 lbs. per day. This didn't seem to work. In fact, not only is it still congested in there, it's even more congested OUTSIDE this zone!
OK, to be fair, I can't compare a European city to a US city. Pretty much every city, town and village in Europe was built long before cars and paved roads where even close to being realized. They didn't think to lay out the cities in a grid pattern. But, surely, a city like London... they could have designed the traffic flow a little better. I can't propose a solution for that mess (other than perhaps building some freeways from the M25 into the city which would require kicking a lot of people out of their homes), but that doesn't quell my complete disgust for the parties responsible. For crying out loud, PUT SOME DAMN STREET SIGNS UP! LABEL THEM SO PEOPLE IN CARS CAN SEE THEM! There's this story that during WWII, they took down all the street signs so if the Germans invaded, they wouldn't be able to find there way around. Well, I don't think they ever got around to putting the signs back up. IT'S 2004, IT'S TIME TO STOP PROCRASTINATING!
-RP-
Don't do it. Avoid this at all costs. I would rather stick bamboo shoots under my fingernails than have to drive through London again. Seriously.
The city-planners need to be dragged naked through their twisting and turning streets, tarred and feathered, given paper-cuts one the webbing between their fingers, flogged with a garden hose, pelted with tomatoes, AND THEN shot! To get from point A to point B, you have to go via points Q, X, H, and Z.
It took us almost two hours to drive 36 miles from the Hyde Park area of London to Gatwick airport. And when we tried to go from the National Film Theatre to the hotel near Hyde Park (despite mapquest's directions saying it would take 6 minutes), it took us nearly an hour! This was not only because of the continuous switchbacks, jug-handles, one-way streets, roundabouts, and forced left or right turns, but also because of the grossly inadequate signage. What street is this? Is this the A23 or the A21? No, it's the A505. I don't see that on the map. So on and so on. You really need three heads (one to look where you're going, another to see where you've been, and a third to look at the map) and two sets of arms to successfully navigate (or perhaps a GPS would do it).
And then there's the traffic. London is worse than LA (at least LA's roads are laid out fairly sensibly). Laughably, they have dubbed most of central London a "Congestion Zone". This means that everyone who drives through there during business hours, has to pay 5 lbs. per day. This didn't seem to work. In fact, not only is it still congested in there, it's even more congested OUTSIDE this zone!
OK, to be fair, I can't compare a European city to a US city. Pretty much every city, town and village in Europe was built long before cars and paved roads where even close to being realized. They didn't think to lay out the cities in a grid pattern. But, surely, a city like London... they could have designed the traffic flow a little better. I can't propose a solution for that mess (other than perhaps building some freeways from the M25 into the city which would require kicking a lot of people out of their homes), but that doesn't quell my complete disgust for the parties responsible. For crying out loud, PUT SOME DAMN STREET SIGNS UP! LABEL THEM SO PEOPLE IN CARS CAN SEE THEM! There's this story that during WWII, they took down all the street signs so if the Germans invaded, they wouldn't be able to find there way around. Well, I don't think they ever got around to putting the signs back up. IT'S 2004, IT'S TIME TO STOP PROCRASTINATING!
-RP-
Tuesday, December 7
PhD'ing?
Before I started my school year at UEA, my intention to continue with a PhD was certain. The idea was to get a PhD and then move on to teaching at university level (being an "academic"). Around mid-October, I started to question that idea. Started thinking about the possibility of jumping into archiving after my MA dissertation was done. If, for example, the archive at which I do my internship offered me a job and I would take it. As I tend to do, I've been ruminating on this since then, but I have not committed to a decision. And I still don't think I can.
I was just at a meeting today regarding PhD work (how to apply for funding, tips for writing a proposal, etc.). I thought the meeting would help me come to a conclusion more quickly, but I'm still a bit on the fence about it. Perhaps not "on the fence", but more just unsure of which path I'd like to take. OK fine... I'm on the fence!
There are two ideas that I've been considering for PhD research. Both of them are of great interest to me and also timely/important projects (I'll refrain from divulging them at the moment... the internet is not a private place!). Both are technical, as opposed to theoretical. One of them is in regard to the future of cinema and the other is in regard to the past. But they are both projects that I'm interested in doing just because they are important bits of research. In some sense, the PhD would just be a bioproduct of the research.
The thing is, I'm not sure I want to be in "academia". I'm not sure I want to teach... at least not formally. So what would I do with a PhD except run around calling myself Dr. Pedersen? The project about the future of cinema moves away from archiving, while the one about the past moves towards archiving (along with other forms of obsolete or going-obsolete technology). My point is, if I do a PhD, I will be off the job-market for at least three years. If I then decide I want to work in an archive, I will be starting almost from scratch because any contacts I've made by the end of my MA will have "gone stale". Then again, if the PhD was the undisclosed historical project, it would bring me a stronger connection with archives.
I spoke to UEA's archiving guru and, luckily for us, the teacher of the course, about this and he said that I should definitely take a job if it's offered to me. He also thought the archiving PhD idea was worthwhile and mentioned that I don't necessarily have to be at a university to do PhD research. Good point.
Another angle on this... at the meeting today, we talked about how to get funding through the AHRB (Arts & Humanities Research Board). For a PhD student, they award between £10,000 and £12,000 per year (sometimes more). Not only would that put me through the three years, it would help me pay off the FAFSA loan I took out this year and perhaps some, if not all, of the loans from undergrad which are still loitering around. A bit enticing. It's not easy to get these awards though. Statistically, 1 in 5 applicants are awarded. These odds can be reduced by filling out the forms correctly and having an enticing research proposal (which I think I do).
So... what to do?. The funding board does not notify until July at the earliest, but the deadline is May 1st (around the time I would be at my archiving placement). I can apply for funding and then choose one of the following scenarios as my "golden path" (in no particular order):
1) Receive funding and continue with a PhD -> teaching at uni or working in archive
2) Receive funding and a job offer at an archive -> take the job instead
3) Do not receive funding, but DO receive a job offer -> take the job
4) Receive neither funding NOR a job offer -> apply at other archives
The choice is not simple, but I feel like this is the only way to go about it. It's an amalgamation of a Lebowskian "tumbleweed" approach and a structured 3-year plan.
-RP-
Before I started my school year at UEA, my intention to continue with a PhD was certain. The idea was to get a PhD and then move on to teaching at university level (being an "academic"). Around mid-October, I started to question that idea. Started thinking about the possibility of jumping into archiving after my MA dissertation was done. If, for example, the archive at which I do my internship offered me a job and I would take it. As I tend to do, I've been ruminating on this since then, but I have not committed to a decision. And I still don't think I can.
I was just at a meeting today regarding PhD work (how to apply for funding, tips for writing a proposal, etc.). I thought the meeting would help me come to a conclusion more quickly, but I'm still a bit on the fence about it. Perhaps not "on the fence", but more just unsure of which path I'd like to take. OK fine... I'm on the fence!
There are two ideas that I've been considering for PhD research. Both of them are of great interest to me and also timely/important projects (I'll refrain from divulging them at the moment... the internet is not a private place!). Both are technical, as opposed to theoretical. One of them is in regard to the future of cinema and the other is in regard to the past. But they are both projects that I'm interested in doing just because they are important bits of research. In some sense, the PhD would just be a bioproduct of the research.
The thing is, I'm not sure I want to be in "academia". I'm not sure I want to teach... at least not formally. So what would I do with a PhD except run around calling myself Dr. Pedersen? The project about the future of cinema moves away from archiving, while the one about the past moves towards archiving (along with other forms of obsolete or going-obsolete technology). My point is, if I do a PhD, I will be off the job-market for at least three years. If I then decide I want to work in an archive, I will be starting almost from scratch because any contacts I've made by the end of my MA will have "gone stale". Then again, if the PhD was the undisclosed historical project, it would bring me a stronger connection with archives.
I spoke to UEA's archiving guru and, luckily for us, the teacher of the course, about this and he said that I should definitely take a job if it's offered to me. He also thought the archiving PhD idea was worthwhile and mentioned that I don't necessarily have to be at a university to do PhD research. Good point.
Another angle on this... at the meeting today, we talked about how to get funding through the AHRB (Arts & Humanities Research Board). For a PhD student, they award between £10,000 and £12,000 per year (sometimes more). Not only would that put me through the three years, it would help me pay off the FAFSA loan I took out this year and perhaps some, if not all, of the loans from undergrad which are still loitering around. A bit enticing. It's not easy to get these awards though. Statistically, 1 in 5 applicants are awarded. These odds can be reduced by filling out the forms correctly and having an enticing research proposal (which I think I do).
So... what to do?. The funding board does not notify until July at the earliest, but the deadline is May 1st (around the time I would be at my archiving placement). I can apply for funding and then choose one of the following scenarios as my "golden path" (in no particular order):
1) Receive funding and continue with a PhD -> teaching at uni or working in archive
2) Receive funding and a job offer at an archive -> take the job instead
3) Do not receive funding, but DO receive a job offer -> take the job
4) Receive neither funding NOR a job offer -> apply at other archives
The choice is not simple, but I feel like this is the only way to go about it. It's an amalgamation of a Lebowskian "tumbleweed" approach and a structured 3-year plan.
-RP-
Friday, December 3
Wednesday, December 1
Random Overdue Photos
Coastal
Picture taken from the cliffs on the Norfolk coast of Cromer.
Duke Street
View of our street. The green door is ours.
Golden Star
The pub on our corner. If I went there more often, it would be considered "my local".
River Wensum
View of the river that snakes around Norwich.
Parking Spot
This is where our car spends most of its time.
Holy Moly!
The vaulted cieling of the Norwich Cathedral.
Holier Moly!
One of the many stained glass windows in above-mentioned cathedral.
Holiest Moly!
The big fancy one in the front.
Dinner Time
Before we had our coffee table (that we use as our dinner table), we had a piece of cardboard as a makeshift tv-tray.
Nightcap
Kristen makes a glass of chocolate milk for dessert while gazing at something on BBC.
Beer Nerd
Yep, that's a bottle of beer... an empty bottle.
Class
The classroom where Film Archiving knowledge is disseminated. It is messy, but that means we're learning.
-RP-
Coastal
Picture taken from the cliffs on the Norfolk coast of Cromer.
Duke Street
View of our street. The green door is ours.
Golden Star
The pub on our corner. If I went there more often, it would be considered "my local".
River Wensum
View of the river that snakes around Norwich.
Parking Spot
This is where our car spends most of its time.
Holy Moly!
The vaulted cieling of the Norwich Cathedral.
Holier Moly!
One of the many stained glass windows in above-mentioned cathedral.
Holiest Moly!
The big fancy one in the front.
Dinner Time
Before we had our coffee table (that we use as our dinner table), we had a piece of cardboard as a makeshift tv-tray.
Nightcap
Kristen makes a glass of chocolate milk for dessert while gazing at something on BBC.
Beer Nerd
Yep, that's a bottle of beer... an empty bottle.
Class
The classroom where Film Archiving knowledge is disseminated. It is messy, but that means we're learning.
-RP-
Whinging Antidote
It was good to get those complaints off our chest, but I must admit, we're feeling a bit guilty about it now. After all, there are millions of people who have it MUCH worse. And there are actually some positive things we should mention:
We have a sizable kitchen (3 times the size of the little "slot" we had in Brussels) with a 4-burner stove, big oven, lots of storage and counterspace.
Sitting next to our washer/dryer is a quite nice widescreen TV. Probably one of the most heavily used appliances in the house since we watch a lot of movies.
Despite being right on the street (and hence the almost unbearable street noise), the apartment is centrally located in the city. This means Kristen can walk to work and I can ride my bike to school. Plus, we are close to stores, movie theatres, pubs, etc.
We have an off-street parking spot for our nice car, something that is a premium in the city. Most people either have to park on the street or pay a hefty parking fee in one of the few lots.
Our rent is pretty cheap (for the location), though we could get something nicer and bigger for the same price if we lived outside the city.
As opposed to the immensely uncomfortable two-person couch we had in Brussels, we have a comfy 3-4 person futon couch. I can actually lie down on it!
The two large front windows are double-glazed which makes the traffice noise a LITTLE BIT quieter and the heating bill a LITTLE BIT smaller. Now if we could just get the drafts taken care of and double-glazing on the rear window, we'd be golden... er, brassed maybe.
We have a toaster.
-K & RP-
It was good to get those complaints off our chest, but I must admit, we're feeling a bit guilty about it now. After all, there are millions of people who have it MUCH worse. And there are actually some positive things we should mention:
We have a sizable kitchen (3 times the size of the little "slot" we had in Brussels) with a 4-burner stove, big oven, lots of storage and counterspace.
Sitting next to our washer/dryer is a quite nice widescreen TV. Probably one of the most heavily used appliances in the house since we watch a lot of movies.
Despite being right on the street (and hence the almost unbearable street noise), the apartment is centrally located in the city. This means Kristen can walk to work and I can ride my bike to school. Plus, we are close to stores, movie theatres, pubs, etc.
We have an off-street parking spot for our nice car, something that is a premium in the city. Most people either have to park on the street or pay a hefty parking fee in one of the few lots.
Our rent is pretty cheap (for the location), though we could get something nicer and bigger for the same price if we lived outside the city.
As opposed to the immensely uncomfortable two-person couch we had in Brussels, we have a comfy 3-4 person futon couch. I can actually lie down on it!
The two large front windows are double-glazed which makes the traffice noise a LITTLE BIT quieter and the heating bill a LITTLE BIT smaller. Now if we could just get the drafts taken care of and double-glazing on the rear window, we'd be golden... er, brassed maybe.
We have a toaster.
-K & RP-
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