Family,
And a good evening to you from across the Pond after another great day in the smoke. First and foremost - the Rice's are at the hospital as I type this! I just chatted with Rice on Skype, and so far, so good. Granted, there's a ways to go before the new arrival, but we're close!
So last night was a DREADFUL night of sleep. That is what I get for watching too many horror movie trailers on Youtube. Between some really freaky "end of the world" foolishness and not having my muffin puffin beside me (to keep me safe, of course!), I ended up staying awake until 4 in the morning, which made for puffy eyes and serious bags this am. However, thanks to a cup of tea at 4 PM, I was able to rally.
And, for the third time in its existence, our dear friend Cano has appeared on the set. Cano is the name of the cane that we bought Jenny in 2007 when she broke her foot at Dover Castle. It carried her through Madrid, and later I used it during a bout of tendonitis. Now, as I realize I have no choice but to take the pressure off my foot, I have embraced him once again, this time as my silent companion on the mile walk to and from work, as well as the substitute for my left foot when I'm standing. Granted, it takes some getting used to a cane, and I'm still at the point that I try to just walk slower instead. That being said, it definitely came in handy today.
I worked out after work, which was a good thing, because tonight Sammy had his second straight pizza in a row from Sainsbury's. Oh yeah, baby - I know what healthy is!
Other than that, not a whole lot to report. I will say that I now think our housekeeper is an enchantress, as I simply cannot imagine how in the WORLD she got this place clean after this weekend's festivities with the fam. Full marks, Rocia!
Lastly, I finished "Brisingr" tonight, the last of the "Inheritance Cycle." If you've heard of the movie or book "Eragon," that was the first book in the series. And while it was worth taking the plunge, I am SO GLAD that it's over. The kid is incredibly talented, don't get me wrong - but he could have stood to trim about 300 pages off this last installment (which came in at a whopping 762 pages), which had WAY too many descriptive passages and unnecessary chapters. Think about J.K. Rowling gone wrong. All the same, I'm glad I've cut through 'em.
Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow, when my perfect pumpkin is back at home with husband bear!
Love,
Sam and (probably 4 bottles of red deep at this point) Jenny
Monday, 7 December 2009
Sunday, 6 December 2009
Home alone...
Family,
And a good evening to you from across the Pond after a great (even if incredibly quiet) day in the Mother Country. So as you all know from the earlier post today, my muffin puffin and her family went to Paris this morning. That left Samwise home alone, and I gotta tell you - it's a weird experience.
After spending every single moment of my last six months with JT, being completely alone today was surreal. However, in an effort to be productive, I tried to cross a few items off the "to-do" list, and as I type this at 8:46 PM, I am resting soundly in the knowledge that it was a productive day.
The weather was simply GORGEOUS, so I headed out to Oxford Street, determined to get myself the lunch I'd been dreaming of - a pasty from the Cornish Bakehouse. However, as fate would have it, in the last week they've decided to turn THE ENTIRE BUILDING where it's located into a completely restricted construction zone, meaning the bake house is shut down until further notice (yeah, didn't see that one coming). All was not lost, however, as I found another one (I didn't even know that it was a chain) about 10 minutes down the way on Tottenham Court Road. 3 minutes later, I had a fresh beef and stilton pasty in my hand, and I could taste the intersection of fat, cheese, and butter - it was pretty much the greatest thing ever.
Next up was the British Museum. Yes, yes - I know I go there all the time with guests. However, as I whipped Sara and Steve through it last night, it occurred to me that I never really take the time to enjoy it myself or explore the new areas, something that I always said I would do if I ever lived her (just take a section a day and enjoy it). Consequently, I spent about 90 minutes tooling around, exploring sections that I hadn't seen before, and spending some time reading in greater detail in some of the rooms I had been in previously. I must confess that it was immensely satisfying, and I left there quite proud of my labors.
On the walk home, I happened by "Mr. Topper's Hair Cuttery - home of the 7 pound haircut." And 20 minutes later, I was a NEW MAN! Sorry there are no photos to show tonight, but muffin has the camera with her in Paris, meaning you'll have to wait a couple of days for the new and improved Sam 6.0. I can't WAIT to see the look on Jenny' face when she sees it, as she's been less than happy with it for the last, oh....SIX WEEKS. Mom - the stylist found it quite amusing that I was "getting my hair cut for my mother," but I told him I hadn't seen you in 3 months and had to be presentable!
After that, the wind kicked up, and I rolled home and worked on some personal stuff before ducking out to Sainsburys and picking up a pizza. Now, first off, the sad thing - last night it took 5 of us to kill 2 pizza smaller than this, and tonight I took down a whole one on my own. The sadder thing? The fact that it had ham, mushrooms, and cheese wasn't enough - I had to add an entire slab of pepperoni to it in order to really "lock in flavor." Yep, pretty pathetic...BUT SO GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUD. As was the 3 pound wine I had to wash it down. I mean hey - how can you eat "Italian" without some vino?
I also caught Rice on Skype - they are going to the hospital at Midnight tonight!!! I can't believe it!!!!
Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow! Muffin and family - I hope you're having a BLAST in Paris!!!! Eat some cheese and drink some wine for me...oh, wait...
Love,
Sam and (somewhere near the Eiffel Tower) Jenny
And a good evening to you from across the Pond after a great (even if incredibly quiet) day in the Mother Country. So as you all know from the earlier post today, my muffin puffin and her family went to Paris this morning. That left Samwise home alone, and I gotta tell you - it's a weird experience.
After spending every single moment of my last six months with JT, being completely alone today was surreal. However, in an effort to be productive, I tried to cross a few items off the "to-do" list, and as I type this at 8:46 PM, I am resting soundly in the knowledge that it was a productive day.
The weather was simply GORGEOUS, so I headed out to Oxford Street, determined to get myself the lunch I'd been dreaming of - a pasty from the Cornish Bakehouse. However, as fate would have it, in the last week they've decided to turn THE ENTIRE BUILDING where it's located into a completely restricted construction zone, meaning the bake house is shut down until further notice (yeah, didn't see that one coming). All was not lost, however, as I found another one (I didn't even know that it was a chain) about 10 minutes down the way on Tottenham Court Road. 3 minutes later, I had a fresh beef and stilton pasty in my hand, and I could taste the intersection of fat, cheese, and butter - it was pretty much the greatest thing ever.
Next up was the British Museum. Yes, yes - I know I go there all the time with guests. However, as I whipped Sara and Steve through it last night, it occurred to me that I never really take the time to enjoy it myself or explore the new areas, something that I always said I would do if I ever lived her (just take a section a day and enjoy it). Consequently, I spent about 90 minutes tooling around, exploring sections that I hadn't seen before, and spending some time reading in greater detail in some of the rooms I had been in previously. I must confess that it was immensely satisfying, and I left there quite proud of my labors.
On the walk home, I happened by "Mr. Topper's Hair Cuttery - home of the 7 pound haircut." And 20 minutes later, I was a NEW MAN! Sorry there are no photos to show tonight, but muffin has the camera with her in Paris, meaning you'll have to wait a couple of days for the new and improved Sam 6.0. I can't WAIT to see the look on Jenny' face when she sees it, as she's been less than happy with it for the last, oh....SIX WEEKS. Mom - the stylist found it quite amusing that I was "getting my hair cut for my mother," but I told him I hadn't seen you in 3 months and had to be presentable!
After that, the wind kicked up, and I rolled home and worked on some personal stuff before ducking out to Sainsburys and picking up a pizza. Now, first off, the sad thing - last night it took 5 of us to kill 2 pizza smaller than this, and tonight I took down a whole one on my own. The sadder thing? The fact that it had ham, mushrooms, and cheese wasn't enough - I had to add an entire slab of pepperoni to it in order to really "lock in flavor." Yep, pretty pathetic...BUT SO GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUD. As was the 3 pound wine I had to wash it down. I mean hey - how can you eat "Italian" without some vino?
I also caught Rice on Skype - they are going to the hospital at Midnight tonight!!! I can't believe it!!!!
Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow! Muffin and family - I hope you're having a BLAST in Paris!!!! Eat some cheese and drink some wine for me...oh, wait...
Love,
Sam and (somewhere near the Eiffel Tower) Jenny
Fake snow, Christmas goblins, and an old fashioned SEC showdown..
Family,
And a good morning to you from across the Pond on this sunny Sunday in the Mother Country. Again, I realize I'm flipping the order in which I'm sending you the info, but it was another LONG night, and so I figured you'd appreciate the version where I didn't misspell 49% of the words.
The first stop on the tour was the walk down Oxford St. Oxford St (where both mine and Jenny's Tube stops are for work) is considered the "shopping street" on London, and it is PACKED every single day of the year, rain or shine. In the Christmas season, however, it's so rammed that they have to block off the entire street so that pedestrians can use it. Let's just say that it was quite the spectacle, complete with people in green santa suits, fake snow, and even the Santa Clau
s jazz band. You'll notice that, on the balloon, it references a date. It actually says "Celebrating 125 years." And honestly, while those boys were good, by the look of the saxophone player, a few of them have been around and playing in every one of those Christmas parades.
Also, check out the girls in this photo. The white stuff you see in the air is fake snow, and several department stores were blasting it out at people.
After getting through the craziest part of Oxford St (which included a little window browsing at Debenham's and Selfridge's), we found a cute little Christmas market, which we ducked into for about 10-15 minutes.
Most of the stalls were the usual trappings - sausages, Swiss potatoes covered in cheese, and mulled wine. How
ever, apparently the UK decided to just import all of this year's Christmas markets straight from Bavaria, because what was every third stall dedicated to? JAGERMEISTER. That's right, nothing put's you in the Christmas spirit like drinking deer's blood flavored with black licorice. I was just waiting to see absinth around any corner.
After that we rolled into Hyde Park, where a nice little protest was brewing at (where else but) Speaker's Corner. Today's campaign of choice was a request to ban all domestic flights worldwide to reduce carbon emissions. Yeah, good luck with that, boys. Tell me how that turns out.
Next up was the "Winter Wonderland," which is basically a mini-city that gets built every Christmas by the Serpentine (the river that runs through the parks). Here we ate like kings - I took down a crepe and a sausage, and I almost went in for some honey almonds before I realized that we still had "lunch plans."
The Wonderland was neat, but it was a CRAZY place, filled with rides and even (get this) - HAUNTED HOUSES. I mean, seriously, there was one dude running around in a skull mask trying to scare people (he got Jenny good). And look at this photo. I don't know about you, but nothing says "Merry Christmas!" to me like a wreath in the shape of a bell besides a rotting corpse. I mean really? REALLY?
After that, we walked over to Harrod's, where we walked the Wizard of Oz windows again before rolling into the Food Halls. Honestly, the prices are good, the food is uber-fresh, and the variety is endless. I ended up going with a prosciutto and goat's cheese pizza, filled with kalamata olive paste instead of tomato sauce. Jenny went with a salmon sandwich that could have fed 5 people, and it was only TWO POUNDS! And whilst we were there, we rode the Egyptian elevators to the top and even found another bear for me to love. I know, I know...but he was really cute.
After that, we rolled over to the Albert Memorial, which was WAY more impressive than I remembered it b
eing. I hadn't been here since March, and there was construction all over it at the time. Now, 11.2 million GBP later, it looks immaculate.
Considered "the greatest monument of the Victorian era," Queen Victoria created it for her late husband, Albert. Apparently it's one of the greatest love stories ever (which I'm a bit skeptical about considering that I'd NEVER heard it until yesterday). Either way, this has become a new "must show" spot for the 2010 Taylor Tour of London (still taking reservations, btw).
After that, it was over to the British Museum, where we were told that we only had 45 minutes to burn through the place. Folks, the Markham's got the POWER TOUR of that place, which I am proud to say has been further refined to include additional items, complete with color commentary throughout (tips always appreciated and accepted).
It was then home to pre-game and get some food (hello pizza and beer, complete with koozies) before rolling over to the biggest meat market in Europe: Sports Cafe United Kingdom. I can't lie - this place SUCKS. However, if you want to watch American sports, it is the ONLY place that will show them. How do I loathe this place? Let me count the ways:
1. There's a 5 pound cover.
2. There is ALWAYS a line to get in.
3. No good beer - we're talking they sell stuff that's a heartbeat away from PBR.
4. There's a bathroom attendant, and all he does is give you TOILET PAPER to dry your hands. Apparently, the recession means you no longer get paper towels.
5. The food is akin to solidified battery acid with some transmission fluid on top.
6. As an American, ou probably get better service in Kabul, Afghanistan or anywhere in Iran than you do at this place.
7. Cash only. Seriously? You have to be THE ONLY PLACE IN THE UK OUTSIDE OF BRICK LANE THAT'S CASH ONLY.
Okay, that vent aside, we had a really good time. The purpose of the visit, of course, was the SEC Championship, pitting the 12-0 Gators vs. the 12-0 Crimson Tide. By now, you know the outcome, and as you can tell from my cousin Steve's shirt - he was none to pleased with the outcome. However, as the photo indicates - no matter what, Gator, Vol, and Tide fans can all get along (usually facilitated by
the fact that you are 5,000 miles from the action and are desperate to find other Americans to talk to about "our football").
We got home and went to bed around 2, but the rest of the gang got up at 5:45 AM for a train ride to Paris. I, on the other hand, slept like it was my JOB until 11. SO GOOOOOOD.
And now, the next question is, as a bachelor in London, what do I get into for the next 2 days. Hmmm.....stay tuned.
Family - have a GREAT TIME in Paris!
Rice clan - Tomorrow is D-Day!!! I am gonna try to find you on Skype later today and see if we can't chat before hand. Time for the pre-game pep talk. :-)
Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat later today!
Love,
Sam and (somewhere in Paris) Jenny
And a good morning to you from across the Pond on this sunny Sunday in the Mother Country. Again, I realize I'm flipping the order in which I'm sending you the info, but it was another LONG night, and so I figured you'd appreciate the version where I didn't misspell 49% of the words.
The first stop on the tour was the walk down Oxford St. Oxford St (where both mine and Jenny's Tube stops are for work) is considered the "shopping street" on London, and it is PACKED every single day of the year, rain or shine. In the Christmas season, however, it's so rammed that they have to block off the entire street so that pedestrians can use it. Let's just say that it was quite the spectacle, complete with people in green santa suits, fake snow, and even the Santa Clau
s jazz band. You'll notice that, on the balloon, it references a date. It actually says "Celebrating 125 years." And honestly, while those boys were good, by the look of the saxophone player, a few of them have been around and playing in every one of those Christmas parades.Also, check out the girls in this photo. The white stuff you see in the air is fake snow, and several department stores were blasting it out at people.
After getting through the craziest part of Oxford St (which included a little window browsing at Debenham's and Selfridge's), we found a cute little Christmas market, which we ducked into for about 10-15 minutes.
Most of the stalls were the usual trappings - sausages, Swiss potatoes covered in cheese, and mulled wine. How
ever, apparently the UK decided to just import all of this year's Christmas markets straight from Bavaria, because what was every third stall dedicated to? JAGERMEISTER. That's right, nothing put's you in the Christmas spirit like drinking deer's blood flavored with black licorice. I was just waiting to see absinth around any corner.After that we rolled into Hyde Park, where a nice little protest was brewing at (where else but) Speaker's Corner. Today's campaign of choice was a request to ban all domestic flights worldwide to reduce carbon emissions. Yeah, good luck with that, boys. Tell me how that turns out.
Next up was the "Winter Wonderland," which is basically a mini-city that gets built every Christmas by the Serpentine (the river that runs through the parks). Here we ate like kings - I took down a crepe and a sausage, and I almost went in for some honey almonds before I realized that we still had "lunch plans."
The Wonderland was neat, but it was a CRAZY place, filled with rides and even (get this) - HAUNTED HOUSES. I mean, seriously, there was one dude running around in a skull mask trying to scare people (he got Jenny good). And look at this photo. I don't know about you, but nothing says "Merry Christmas!" to me like a wreath in the shape of a bell besides a rotting corpse. I mean really? REALLY?
After that, we walked over to Harrod's, where we walked the Wizard of Oz windows again before rolling into the Food Halls. Honestly, the prices are good, the food is uber-fresh, and the variety is endless. I ended up going with a prosciutto and goat's cheese pizza, filled with kalamata olive paste instead of tomato sauce. Jenny went with a salmon sandwich that could have fed 5 people, and it was only TWO POUNDS! And whilst we were there, we rode the Egyptian elevators to the top and even found another bear for me to love. I know, I know...but he was really cute.
After that, we rolled over to the Albert Memorial, which was WAY more impressive than I remembered it b
eing. I hadn't been here since March, and there was construction all over it at the time. Now, 11.2 million GBP later, it looks immaculate.Considered "the greatest monument of the Victorian era," Queen Victoria created it for her late husband, Albert. Apparently it's one of the greatest love stories ever (which I'm a bit skeptical about considering that I'd NEVER heard it until yesterday). Either way, this has become a new "must show" spot for the 2010 Taylor Tour of London (still taking reservations, btw).
After that, it was over to the British Museum, where we were told that we only had 45 minutes to burn through the place. Folks, the Markham's got the POWER TOUR of that place, which I am proud to say has been further refined to include additional items, complete with color commentary throughout (tips always appreciated and accepted).
It was then home to pre-game and get some food (hello pizza and beer, complete with koozies) before rolling over to the biggest meat market in Europe: Sports Cafe United Kingdom. I can't lie - this place SUCKS. However, if you want to watch American sports, it is the ONLY place that will show them. How do I loathe this place? Let me count the ways:
1. There's a 5 pound cover.
2. There is ALWAYS a line to get in.
3. No good beer - we're talking they sell stuff that's a heartbeat away from PBR.
4. There's a bathroom attendant, and all he does is give you TOILET PAPER to dry your hands. Apparently, the recession means you no longer get paper towels.
5. The food is akin to solidified battery acid with some transmission fluid on top.
6. As an American, ou probably get better service in Kabul, Afghanistan or anywhere in Iran than you do at this place.
7. Cash only. Seriously? You have to be THE ONLY PLACE IN THE UK OUTSIDE OF BRICK LANE THAT'S CASH ONLY.
Okay, that vent aside, we had a really good time. The purpose of the visit, of course, was the SEC Championship, pitting the 12-0 Gators vs. the 12-0 Crimson Tide. By now, you know the outcome, and as you can tell from my cousin Steve's shirt - he was none to pleased with the outcome. However, as the photo indicates - no matter what, Gator, Vol, and Tide fans can all get along (usually facilitated by
the fact that you are 5,000 miles from the action and are desperate to find other Americans to talk to about "our football").We got home and went to bed around 2, but the rest of the gang got up at 5:45 AM for a train ride to Paris. I, on the other hand, slept like it was my JOB until 11. SO GOOOOOOD.
And now, the next question is, as a bachelor in London, what do I get into for the next 2 days. Hmmm.....stay tuned.
Family - have a GREAT TIME in Paris!
Rice clan - Tomorrow is D-Day!!! I am gonna try to find you on Skype later today and see if we can't chat before hand. Time for the pre-game pep talk. :-)
Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat later today!
Love,
Sam and (somewhere in Paris) Jenny
Saturday, 5 December 2009
A family reunion, some great curry, and the amazing Tacy/Markham sisters give a rousing performance
Family,
And a good evening to you from across the Pond on a sunny Saturday in the mother country. WOW, what a great night! So the family is now here safe and sound, and Friday was one for the books. Where to begin...
So the work day was great - it was a tough, but VERY successful week, and I'm really proud of where we're at. The day was made better for two reasons: 1) lunch at Nando's (thanks for the half chicken, Liz), and 2) pints at the Cat & Canary (after work, of course) with Lord, Owain, and Liz (nothing like drinking an ice cold Guinness outside in 40 degree weather as a nice, chilling wind rips through your jacket and mega-gay earmuffs.
So after a pair of pints, I made my way to the Pontefract Castle, where I met the family! Pontefract Castle is GREAT, and best of all - they have Timmy Taylor! It was SO GREAT to see the fam. Now, unfortunately, most of the evening's photos are on Kim's (Jenny's sister's) camera, and I don't have a compatible drive to load them. However, we do have this great photo of Sara (Jenny's cousin) and Kim from Pontefract:
After Pontefract, we rolled over to the Cock and Lion, where we tossed back a few Spitfires (in my Top 5 - So guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud) before then rolling over to the Ranjoot for the Markham's first dance with Indian cuisine!
As always, the Ranjoot delivered with GREAT curry, including a delicious Vindaloo. Props to Steve and Kim for both taking down the hot stuff.
We then rolled back home, where the party got going in earnest. Now's the time to come clean and tell you that, 2 minutes after arriving home, my world started spinning like a top, so I reverted to my time-tested survival method from college - run to the rest room, throw up, and then pass out (although props to Steve for trying to actually lift me out of the bed for a puke and rally).
The funny thing is that NO ONE else in the flat knew that I had gotten sick until this morning. Why, you ask? Because it was DANCE, DANCE REVOLUTION in my living room. Seriously - I have to find a way to upload at least one of these videos, because they are CLASSIC. Picture Kim singing into a Leffe bottle, Jenny twirling (and falling) against all furniture in the house (mercifully nothing broke), and Sara belting out the notes to "Always," while Steve mans the camera - PRICELESS. When "America's Got Talent" comes around next time, I know exactly who I'm nominating...
The rest of the gang went to bed at 2, and we popped up this morning around 10. Now the gang is almost done getting ready, which means I face the prospect of a shower colder than the ocean in Tierra del Fuego - BRING IT ON!!!!
Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow!
Love,
Sam and Jenny (and Kim, Steve, and Sara)
And a good evening to you from across the Pond on a sunny Saturday in the mother country. WOW, what a great night! So the family is now here safe and sound, and Friday was one for the books. Where to begin...
So the work day was great - it was a tough, but VERY successful week, and I'm really proud of where we're at. The day was made better for two reasons: 1) lunch at Nando's (thanks for the half chicken, Liz), and 2) pints at the Cat & Canary (after work, of course) with Lord, Owain, and Liz (nothing like drinking an ice cold Guinness outside in 40 degree weather as a nice, chilling wind rips through your jacket and mega-gay earmuffs.
So after a pair of pints, I made my way to the Pontefract Castle, where I met the family! Pontefract Castle is GREAT, and best of all - they have Timmy Taylor! It was SO GREAT to see the fam. Now, unfortunately, most of the evening's photos are on Kim's (Jenny's sister's) camera, and I don't have a compatible drive to load them. However, we do have this great photo of Sara (Jenny's cousin) and Kim from Pontefract:
After Pontefract, we rolled over to the Cock and Lion, where we tossed back a few Spitfires (in my Top 5 - So guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud) before then rolling over to the Ranjoot for the Markham's first dance with Indian cuisine!
As always, the Ranjoot delivered with GREAT curry, including a delicious Vindaloo. Props to Steve and Kim for both taking down the hot stuff.
We then rolled back home, where the party got going in earnest. Now's the time to come clean and tell you that, 2 minutes after arriving home, my world started spinning like a top, so I reverted to my time-tested survival method from college - run to the rest room, throw up, and then pass out (although props to Steve for trying to actually lift me out of the bed for a puke and rally).
The funny thing is that NO ONE else in the flat knew that I had gotten sick until this morning. Why, you ask? Because it was DANCE, DANCE REVOLUTION in my living room. Seriously - I have to find a way to upload at least one of these videos, because they are CLASSIC. Picture Kim singing into a Leffe bottle, Jenny twirling (and falling) against all furniture in the house (mercifully nothing broke), and Sara belting out the notes to "Always," while Steve mans the camera - PRICELESS. When "America's Got Talent" comes around next time, I know exactly who I'm nominating...
The rest of the gang went to bed at 2, and we popped up this morning around 10. Now the gang is almost done getting ready, which means I face the prospect of a shower colder than the ocean in Tierra del Fuego - BRING IT ON!!!!
Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow!
Love,
Sam and Jenny (and Kim, Steve, and Sara)
Thursday, 3 December 2009
A feast for a king!
Family,
And a good evening to you from across the Pond after a GREAT DAY in the Mother Country. Today was AWESOME - tons of stuff crossed off, and full speed ahead on the Canada conversion, baby! Yeah, I know I'm a loser, but hey - project management is my life - you gotta celebrate the work victories as well.
So I thought I'd be introducing a new character in the blog tonight. He canceled, however, meaning that the missus and I opted for another quiet night in. However, rather than just having our normal salad, carrots, and hummous, I walked into to find my sexy, smokin' hot wife (still in her running gear, mind you) preparing a feast for a king! Check out the 
bounty spread before my table! I'm tellin' you - Emeril Legasse, watch out!!!
bounty spread before my table! I'm tellin' you - Emeril Legasse, watch out!!!Also, Kay, you'll be happy to know that I put a firm stop to the AFD's tonight. After 3 days of abstaining (and really, I just had some hot wine and a pint on Sunday, so does that really count?), tonight I returned to my "British" ways, throwing back a pair of Innis & Gunn Rum Cask Ales. This Scottish beer, 7.4%, is aged for 107 days in barrels from the Caribbean that previously contained rum. Yeah, it's pretty much the greatest thing on earth. Jenny hates it - which means more for me!!!
Okay, sorry so short, but my wife is about to kick my ass if I don't get up and finish the dishes. After all, we've got FAMILY COMING TOMORROW!!!! And speaking of family - Rice - 96 hours. SOOOOOOOOO CLOSE, brother.
Okay, that's all the news the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow (hopefully!).
Love,
Sam and Jenny
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
The calm before the storm...
Family,
And a good evening to you from across the Pond after another GREAT day in the Smoke. I am not gonna lie and tell you that this will be a super-entertaining blog, as the Taylors were BOOOOOORING tonight. However, as we knocked a lot of stuff off and got some much needed down time, I am not complaining.
The day didn't start out great. Whilst completing my morning ritual of ensuring everything was in the right pocket, I realized that I could make exact change for my coffee (always the vanilla latte at Costa - they WILL serve that in Heaven). Consequently, I took all the change out of my pocket, counted only what I needed, and walked out - a model of efficiency, I tell you.
Only when I'd walked the mile to the station and got to the turnstile did I realize that I was missing one vital component for the day: my Oyster card (the thing that lets me on the Tube). So I had two options - walk the mile back to get it, or pay the money for a one-day ticket. On one had, I had a busted foot, and I knew that two mile round trip was going to hurt. On the other hand, this lapse in memory would cost me 15 bucks. Given that evidence, I am betting it's no shock to ANYONE that I walked my grumpy ass all the way back to the flat, inventing expletives then entire way. Go ahead and say it, Hitman - CHEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAP BASTARD. But think about it - that would have been the equivalent of FIVE PINTS!!!
After work, I hit the gym, where I continued to embarass myself at the weight bench. Honestly, there's nothing more manly than walking into the gym filled with other sweaty dudes in Euro-trash t-shirts, lifting 6kg weights while the WORST techno-trash on earth pumps so loud your (5 year old) i-Pod can't blog the bass. But fret not - for soon, you'll all be treated to the guuuuuuuuuuuuun shoooooooooooooow!!! Or not.
Muffin Puffin's night was much more productive - pictures are now loaded, and the Christmas cards are ordered. Also, we got to chat with JT's folks - Bob - we're glad you're feeling better! Here's hoping you eat 14 pounds of turkey today to make up for it.
I promise that tomorrow we'll be a bit more fun. And then...wait for it...wait for it...FAMILY COMES!!!! My liver is starting to quake at the thought already - but hey, at least we made 3 AFD's in a row.
That's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
And a good evening to you from across the Pond after another GREAT day in the Smoke. I am not gonna lie and tell you that this will be a super-entertaining blog, as the Taylors were BOOOOOORING tonight. However, as we knocked a lot of stuff off and got some much needed down time, I am not complaining.
The day didn't start out great. Whilst completing my morning ritual of ensuring everything was in the right pocket, I realized that I could make exact change for my coffee (always the vanilla latte at Costa - they WILL serve that in Heaven). Consequently, I took all the change out of my pocket, counted only what I needed, and walked out - a model of efficiency, I tell you.
Only when I'd walked the mile to the station and got to the turnstile did I realize that I was missing one vital component for the day: my Oyster card (the thing that lets me on the Tube). So I had two options - walk the mile back to get it, or pay the money for a one-day ticket. On one had, I had a busted foot, and I knew that two mile round trip was going to hurt. On the other hand, this lapse in memory would cost me 15 bucks. Given that evidence, I am betting it's no shock to ANYONE that I walked my grumpy ass all the way back to the flat, inventing expletives then entire way. Go ahead and say it, Hitman - CHEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAP BASTARD. But think about it - that would have been the equivalent of FIVE PINTS!!!
After work, I hit the gym, where I continued to embarass myself at the weight bench. Honestly, there's nothing more manly than walking into the gym filled with other sweaty dudes in Euro-trash t-shirts, lifting 6kg weights while the WORST techno-trash on earth pumps so loud your (5 year old) i-Pod can't blog the bass. But fret not - for soon, you'll all be treated to the guuuuuuuuuuuuun shoooooooooooooow!!! Or not.
Muffin Puffin's night was much more productive - pictures are now loaded, and the Christmas cards are ordered. Also, we got to chat with JT's folks - Bob - we're glad you're feeling better! Here's hoping you eat 14 pounds of turkey today to make up for it.
I promise that tomorrow we'll be a bit more fun. And then...wait for it...wait for it...FAMILY COMES!!!! My liver is starting to quake at the thought already - but hey, at least we made 3 AFD's in a row.
That's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!!!
Family,
And a good evening to you from across the Pond. Today marks the countdown - we are officially less than 168 hours (knock on wood) from the arrival of Samantha Lane Rice!!! Johnny - I'm on pins and needles, man - light Skype up the second you have news for us.
Secondly - Happy Birthday, Dinger! The man diagnosing my foot and offering treatment advice joined the rare air of 32 today. Here's hoping it's a grea one, brother. And remember - "32 is the new 22," so we're just hitting our stride.
Today was a busy day at work, and the Taylors were not super exciting this evening. Jenny, despite her best efforts for more than two hours, was bested by a slow internet connection and trouble with uploading pictures onto Facebook (although there are some Dubai shots on there now). I was an equally rivetin
g spectacle, making my way through another 70 or so pages of "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini. I mean, check out my academic prowess (and the Arsenal scarf) - tell me that I'm not a beacon of educational perfection.
g spectacle, making my way through another 70 or so pages of "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini. I mean, check out my academic prowess (and the Arsenal scarf) - tell me that I'm not a beacon of educational perfection. And while you're at it, you should probably check out the afro - that's right -it's now been 13.5 weeks since the last trim. In our defense, we did try to cut it before Prague, only to have our third set of UK clippers die on us - at least they died BEFORE we started...
The good news is that the Taylor's turned in their second straight AFD today, and all signs point to three in a row tomorrow. My liver certainly has his fingers crossed...
That's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
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