One of the advantages/drawbacks of working from home is that you have the opportunity to watch significant amounts of day-time TV (with only one eye of course, the other eye is, like, totally concentrating on work). My personal preference is for Law & Order, but if I can't find that then I usually drift over to the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, or maybe even the National Geographic Channel.
But anyways.... I was watching a documentary the other day on the Uruguayan plane that crashed in the Andes in 1972. The survivors of the crash were trapped for over 2 months and became 'famous' because they resorted to eating the bodies of those who died in the crash in order to survive (see the Wikipedia article on plane crash for more info). The film 'Alive' with Ethan Hawke was based on the accident.
So, I think you can guess where I'm going with this moral dilemma thing, and you'd be right.
The mother and sister of one of the survivors died in the crash and this survivor talked in the documentary about his dilemma - as the 'food' became increasingly more scarce, should he allow other people to eat his mum and sister in order to stay alive? Or should he eat them himself to prevent others doing so?
Irritatingly, he didn't say what he chose to do, so I present the dilemma to you. If you were in the same situation, would you:
1) Allow other people to eat your loved ones, but abstain yourself?
2) Chow down on Steak au Famille rather than let others tuck in?
I asked Omar what he would do and he didn't answer - I assume this means that he definitely would eat me :-)
Personally, I haven't decided yet, although all this talk of meat has made me hungry...
Saturday, 13 November 2010
Monday, 1 November 2010
Houston....[insert space/'we have a problem'-related joke here]
Very belated I know, but I've finally got around to putting something up on our trip to Houston at the start of October. Omar was sent there for work, so I thought I'd tag along. If it's good enough for Yoko Ono, it's good enough for me.
Although there were nice oases of greenery in the city (like the Japenese Garden in the photo above), to be honest, Houston was pretty underwhelming (and over-heated), or at least the Medical Centre area that our hotel was in (I'm willing to give everyone a second chance). Although being next to a zillion hospitals, did give our hotel the added 'charm' of being full of the sick and the diseased, which was a bit of a bummer. It's difficult to feel super-psyched about a place when everyone looks like they're suffering.
That said, the highlight of our trip was the food, which was something of a carnivore's paradise. And apparently it's completely normal to have chicken wings and Belgian waffles... for breakfast:
Admittedly, it took a week for my digestive system to return to normal, unfortunately the Atkins diet doesn't agree with me as much as I was hoping.
To take it easy on blogspot, I've put more photos up on facebook. This is a public album link, so you can look at the photos without needing an account/having to sign in:
Houston photos on facebook
There are also some photos of Galveston and Kemah Broadwalk, on the Gulf of Mexico coast, where we went for a daytrip. It was just like Blackpool, just hotter and with more water pollution.
But in the end, mostly I was just upset about the lack of ten gallon hats and cowboy boots. Such much for stereotypes....
Although there were nice oases of greenery in the city (like the Japenese Garden in the photo above), to be honest, Houston was pretty underwhelming (and over-heated), or at least the Medical Centre area that our hotel was in (I'm willing to give everyone a second chance). Although being next to a zillion hospitals, did give our hotel the added 'charm' of being full of the sick and the diseased, which was a bit of a bummer. It's difficult to feel super-psyched about a place when everyone looks like they're suffering.
That said, the highlight of our trip was the food, which was something of a carnivore's paradise. And apparently it's completely normal to have chicken wings and Belgian waffles... for breakfast:
Admittedly, it took a week for my digestive system to return to normal, unfortunately the Atkins diet doesn't agree with me as much as I was hoping.
To take it easy on blogspot, I've put more photos up on facebook. This is a public album link, so you can look at the photos without needing an account/having to sign in:
Houston photos on facebook
There are also some photos of Galveston and Kemah Broadwalk, on the Gulf of Mexico coast, where we went for a daytrip. It was just like Blackpool, just hotter and with more water pollution.
But in the end, mostly I was just upset about the lack of ten gallon hats and cowboy boots. Such much for stereotypes....
Friday, 15 October 2010
America's Got The Crunch Factor
In the first part of an ongoing series, I've decided to catalogue and rate some of the culinary delights that I encounter during my time here in America. The supermarkets here are a veritable carnival of weird and wonderful (but mostly weird) food items that may appear bewildering to the non-native, so in my commitment to public service, I'm letting my curiosity get the better of me, to make the gastronomic mistakes so that you don't have to.
Each delicacy will be rated on a 'crunch scale' of 0 - 5. For those of you who have eaten in Connaught Hall, you'll understand the scoring system, but for those who have not had the 'pleasure', a crunch is a measure of amount of stomach ache suffered post-consumption, ranging from 0 (no crunch - a pleasant eating experience) up to 5 crunches (a foul abomination of a meal, equivalent to eating a full Saturday brunch at Connaught).
So without further ado, like the crunching commence!
First up is something of an American instituition, guaranteed to cause bemusement for all other speakers of the English language:
Biscuits and gravy
After encountering these bad boys on a few occasions, I think I've finally worked out what they are. The 'biscuits' are a bit like heavy croissants, with a bun-like crust. They are quite sweet, but seem to be eaten with bloody anything and everything over here. Nothing too offensive.
The gravy is something else all together, and that something is pretty digusting. I should add the disclaimer that this gravy came out of a packet, so I'm not sure how it compares to the 'gold standard' of gravies, but I'm not optimistic based on this experience. The 'gravy' is a strange savoury porridge-type sauce that may or may not have little bits of sausage in it. I can't really describe the taste, other than 'savoury'. Suffice to say, you'd be hard-pushed to get me to try it again.
And if that decription wasn't appealing enough, here's a picture of the feast (that's a fried egg on the top left):
Crunch Factor: 3 crunches out of 5 (it would have been more, but the biscuits weren't too bad. On the otherhand, I'm still having nightmarish flashbacks about the gravy)
Each delicacy will be rated on a 'crunch scale' of 0 - 5. For those of you who have eaten in Connaught Hall, you'll understand the scoring system, but for those who have not had the 'pleasure', a crunch is a measure of amount of stomach ache suffered post-consumption, ranging from 0 (no crunch - a pleasant eating experience) up to 5 crunches (a foul abomination of a meal, equivalent to eating a full Saturday brunch at Connaught).
So without further ado, like the crunching commence!
First up is something of an American instituition, guaranteed to cause bemusement for all other speakers of the English language:
Biscuits and gravy
After encountering these bad boys on a few occasions, I think I've finally worked out what they are. The 'biscuits' are a bit like heavy croissants, with a bun-like crust. They are quite sweet, but seem to be eaten with bloody anything and everything over here. Nothing too offensive.
The gravy is something else all together, and that something is pretty digusting. I should add the disclaimer that this gravy came out of a packet, so I'm not sure how it compares to the 'gold standard' of gravies, but I'm not optimistic based on this experience. The 'gravy' is a strange savoury porridge-type sauce that may or may not have little bits of sausage in it. I can't really describe the taste, other than 'savoury'. Suffice to say, you'd be hard-pushed to get me to try it again.
And if that decription wasn't appealing enough, here's a picture of the feast (that's a fried egg on the top left):
Crunch Factor: 3 crunches out of 5 (it would have been more, but the biscuits weren't too bad. On the otherhand, I'm still having nightmarish flashbacks about the gravy)
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
1 month in Athens
Following all the excitement of being somewhere sort of near a tornado, things have been quite sedate here in Athens. I've been trying to plug away on my journal article, getting distracted by all day Law & Order marathons, and occasionally whizzing around on my bitchin' new set of bad-ass wheels (or 'bike' as all you squares call it). I've also been snapping away, so what better way to celebrate the end of my first month in Athens with a little photo gallery? (I've put more photos up on facebook for those who'd like an extra Athens hit)
One of the benefits of everything being bigger in America is that we can rent somewhere a bit bigger too....
Our flat is one half of the top floor, we get the little balcony too
And this is the view from the balcony - just try and pretend that you can't see the car park, that's what we do :-)
This is a view of the Hocking River from the cycle path to and from University, which makes a nice change (although there is a freeway on the other side of those trees!)
So this rather pleasant view is directly outside the Physics and Astronomy building.... ahhhhh, relaxing :-)
This is a random street round the corner from our flat, with what appears to be some precariously hung traffic lights. It appears that they don't believe in mounting them on posts round this neck of the woods.
And speaking of woods... there area lot of nice local walks through the woods in the hills above Athens
....and here is me on the aforementioned hills, feeling (and looking) a bit hot and bothered. Cloud of irritating flies just out of shot.
And you'll be pleased to hear that Athens certainly doesn't shirk its responsibility for hard-hitting local news (although I'm not sure what the answer is to this pressing question)
Dow's Lake at Stroud's Run Park
Another view of Dow's Lake, with a bit of beach action
More Dow's Lake: Spot the difference (hint: there's a person in the foreground)
And some Dow's Lake. How nice :-)
But if you really want to get a flavour for what it's like in America, check out People of Walmart. It pretty much sums up the sort of people you see around and about. Maybe someone should set up the 'People of Asda' as a comparison?
One of the benefits of everything being bigger in America is that we can rent somewhere a bit bigger too....
Our flat is one half of the top floor, we get the little balcony too
And this is the view from the balcony - just try and pretend that you can't see the car park, that's what we do :-)
This is a view of the Hocking River from the cycle path to and from University, which makes a nice change (although there is a freeway on the other side of those trees!)
So this rather pleasant view is directly outside the Physics and Astronomy building.... ahhhhh, relaxing :-)
This is a random street round the corner from our flat, with what appears to be some precariously hung traffic lights. It appears that they don't believe in mounting them on posts round this neck of the woods.
And speaking of woods... there area lot of nice local walks through the woods in the hills above Athens
....and here is me on the aforementioned hills, feeling (and looking) a bit hot and bothered. Cloud of irritating flies just out of shot.
Dow's Lake at Stroud's Run Park
Another view of Dow's Lake, with a bit of beach action
More Dow's Lake: Spot the difference (hint: there's a person in the foreground)
And some Dow's Lake. How nice :-)
But if you really want to get a flavour for what it's like in America, check out People of Walmart. It pretty much sums up the sort of people you see around and about. Maybe someone should set up the 'People of Asda' as a comparison?
Friday, 17 September 2010
There's a storm coming.....
There were two questions I asked Omar before I came to America:
1) Does Ohio get tornadoes?
I was assured that, while the northern parts of Ohio occasionally get tornadoes, the south of the state (where we are) never gets them because it is too hilly. I felt reassured by this seeing as we live on the first floor and don't have a convenient basement/tornado bunker. So imagine my surprise yesterday when, while sitting outside a local coffee shop, confirming to British stereotypes by complaining how difficult it is to get a proper cup of tea here, an air raid siren goes off, followed by:
"THIS IS A TORNADO WARNING. GET INSIDE IMMEDIATELY"
Hmm......
Anyways, after a little bit of mild alarm and general bemusement among the locals who assured us that this was the first tornado warning that Athens had ever had, it was agreed that there were worse places to be stuck than a coffee shop, even if the tea is rubbish. And is it happens, the 'tornado' was something of a non-event, I'm disappointed to report. Apparently some parts of Athens were seriously damaged, in the places where the tornado 'touched down', but all we saw was some heavy rain and a few gusts of wind. I mean, the rain wasn't even horizontal or anything. So that was that....
.....until we got home and found out there had been a power cut in our part of town. It was mildly entertaining at first, but 20 hours later I'm now in exile at the University (which still has electricity fortunately) and feeling a bit peeved. And we've just found out that we might not quite power back until Sunday night/Monday morning. Woohoo! Good job we have that wind-up torch :-)
But I mentioned earlier that I'd asked Omar *two* questions, the second being:
2) Are there bears in Ohio?
I watch tv, I know what bears are like. They look all cute and whatnot, but they like to eat stuff. And people*. Bears very much fall into the 'spider' category of creatures for me, they are a valuable part of the ecosystem and a vital part of natural diversity and therefore should be protected. But surely we don't need to live in the same 10m sq. area of land?
But I was informed that Ohio doesn't have bears any more, thanks to the efforts of farmers and hunters in the 1800s (I guess once they'd finished scaring off the Native Americans it was time to move on to something else). So I was once again surprised to hear that a black bear was spotted a couple of weeks ago in a Halls of Residence where some of Omar's friends live.
Awww..... doesn't it look hungry? :-) Which isn't surprising, as apparently they eat for up to 20 hours a day (Black bears are back in Ohio!)
While I would usually be in favour of bears running amok in a Halls of Residence, on this occasion it just makes me wonder how far they'll go for a snack?
Anyways, after having having two of my core beliefs about Ohio shattered, I'm starting to wonder what else forms part of this web of lies? ;-)
*This is mostly wild, unfounded speculation on my part, fuelled by too much tv and that Herzog film about the crazy guy who was eaten by bears.
1) Does Ohio get tornadoes?
I was assured that, while the northern parts of Ohio occasionally get tornadoes, the south of the state (where we are) never gets them because it is too hilly. I felt reassured by this seeing as we live on the first floor and don't have a convenient basement/tornado bunker. So imagine my surprise yesterday when, while sitting outside a local coffee shop, confirming to British stereotypes by complaining how difficult it is to get a proper cup of tea here, an air raid siren goes off, followed by:
"THIS IS A TORNADO WARNING. GET INSIDE IMMEDIATELY"
Hmm......
Anyways, after a little bit of mild alarm and general bemusement among the locals who assured us that this was the first tornado warning that Athens had ever had, it was agreed that there were worse places to be stuck than a coffee shop, even if the tea is rubbish. And is it happens, the 'tornado' was something of a non-event, I'm disappointed to report. Apparently some parts of Athens were seriously damaged, in the places where the tornado 'touched down', but all we saw was some heavy rain and a few gusts of wind. I mean, the rain wasn't even horizontal or anything. So that was that....
.....until we got home and found out there had been a power cut in our part of town. It was mildly entertaining at first, but 20 hours later I'm now in exile at the University (which still has electricity fortunately) and feeling a bit peeved. And we've just found out that we might not quite power back until Sunday night/Monday morning. Woohoo! Good job we have that wind-up torch :-)
But I mentioned earlier that I'd asked Omar *two* questions, the second being:
2) Are there bears in Ohio?
I watch tv, I know what bears are like. They look all cute and whatnot, but they like to eat stuff. And people*. Bears very much fall into the 'spider' category of creatures for me, they are a valuable part of the ecosystem and a vital part of natural diversity and therefore should be protected. But surely we don't need to live in the same 10m sq. area of land?
But I was informed that Ohio doesn't have bears any more, thanks to the efforts of farmers and hunters in the 1800s (I guess once they'd finished scaring off the Native Americans it was time to move on to something else). So I was once again surprised to hear that a black bear was spotted a couple of weeks ago in a Halls of Residence where some of Omar's friends live.
Awww..... doesn't it look hungry? :-) Which isn't surprising, as apparently they eat for up to 20 hours a day (Black bears are back in Ohio!)
While I would usually be in favour of bears running amok in a Halls of Residence, on this occasion it just makes me wonder how far they'll go for a snack?
Anyways, after having having two of my core beliefs about Ohio shattered, I'm starting to wonder what else forms part of this web of lies? ;-)
*This is mostly wild, unfounded speculation on my part, fuelled by too much tv and that Herzog film about the crazy guy who was eaten by bears.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Possessions....
...... are something that I don't have a lot of at the moment, which is quite liberating as it happens. It has also made moving into our new flat, sorry apartment (damn all these vocabulary changes), a lot easier and quicker, which is a bonus. There are downsides to our new uncluttered lifestyle, however. It turns out that I'm quite sentimental about random useless stuff so I miss being able to decorate the new place with what I lovingly think of as 'ironic kitsch' and everyone else (or maybe just Omar) thinks of as 'crap'. From a practical perspective, it has also been bloody annoying to have to start again from scratch. I knew this would happen, but it's still frustrating to end most sentences with "we had one of those in England, but we had to get rid of it". All in good time I guess. But I swear, I refuse to move again until we can afford to ship all of our stuff :-)
And speaking of shipping, I'm going to take this opportunity to voice my disappointment (ok, I mean whinge) about the piss poor service provided by both UPS and ParcelForce. The second shipment of boxes we sent from the UK arrived today and again the box was battered to hell. This time was with ParcelForce and the box didn't even arrive in one piece :-( Luckily most of the books weren't too damaged, just a bit of scuffing, and at least they didn't get wet as they did with UPS. Boo!
But enough of all that, I can now luxuriate in my new pile of books, before putting them back on a bookcase and pledging to certainly, definitely, getting around to reading them one day...
And speaking of shipping, I'm going to take this opportunity to voice my disappointment (ok, I mean whinge) about the piss poor service provided by both UPS and ParcelForce. The second shipment of boxes we sent from the UK arrived today and again the box was battered to hell. This time was with ParcelForce and the box didn't even arrive in one piece :-( Luckily most of the books weren't too damaged, just a bit of scuffing, and at least they didn't get wet as they did with UPS. Boo!
But enough of all that, I can now luxuriate in my new pile of books, before putting them back on a bookcase and pledging to certainly, definitely, getting around to reading them one day...
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Goodbyes
It's day 2 in Athens, Ohio, and while I wouldn't go as far as saying that the dust has settled after the move, it's certainly starting to clear and I have been thinking about all the goodbyes I've said over the last few weeks. I've decided that I feel dissatisfied with them, as if I didn't spend enough time on each one and make it as 'significant' as it should have been. Part of this is my general problem with being sincere, but mostly it was just because I was so busy in the weeks before I left that I didn't have any time. I'm starting to think that being so manic in the run up to big life events, like leaving a job or moving overseas (or both!), is a psychological mechanism to stop you thinking too much about the magnitude of the changes you are making. By the time you have the time to stop and think about what you're doing, it's too late to go back! I know that I'm doing the right thing in moving, but being busy has stopped me about being too sentimental about all the people I will miss while I'm here.
However, if circumstances had been different, and I had had more time for goodbyes, what would I have said? I guess I just hope that people automatically know what I wanted to say.
But I'm not just looking back, there's a lot of looking forward going on as well, it's just that the future seems a lot more complicated and confusing. So as of tomorrow, the focus moves back to sorting out my new life. I think some sort of list is called for..... :-)
However, if circumstances had been different, and I had had more time for goodbyes, what would I have said? I guess I just hope that people automatically know what I wanted to say.
But I'm not just looking back, there's a lot of looking forward going on as well, it's just that the future seems a lot more complicated and confusing. So as of tomorrow, the focus moves back to sorting out my new life. I think some sort of list is called for..... :-)
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