happy turkey days

thanksgiving in london? it was more eventful than you would think. not only was it a true test of my american history -- explaining the beginning and meaning of our turkey holiday -- but we celebrated with 3 different meals over the course of 8 days. that's some serious feasting.

anyhoo ... the celebrations began last weekend. we spent saturday evening with a lovely (yes, i just said a british lovely and meant it) group of britons and americans. we were invited to a fusion night of american thanksgiving and scottish st. andrew's night. there was haggis & turkey, kilts & cowboy boots, and whiskey & pumpkin pie. plus great conversation, funny games, guitar entertainment and singing.

and the week kept getting better.

i experienced a letterpress facility in my design class. hurt my brain in italian class -- i keep mixing things with spanish and i have no idea how to conjugate a verb. finalized my pattern for handbag class -- can't wait to get started on the real thing. then two friends from washington dc arrived on wednesday morning.

they crashed with us for a few days and we just had such a nice time with them. they are the cutest couple. the girl is actually the sister of one of our good college friends. but, i'm happy to say that i think we can officially call them our friends, too. we saw harry potter, ate indian food, caught a soccer match ... oh! and while at borough market on friday afternoon, we ran into Prince Charles and Camilla. it was very cool. my first "celebrity" sighting in london. we couldn't have ordered a more perfect appearance for our american friends.

i made a pumpkin pie for thanksgiving on thursday night. since i don't understand our fan-operated oven quite yet -- or the celsius conversion -- the pie was a bit burnt on the outside (but yummy on the inside). at least my husband pretended to like it :)

oh, and it's freezing here. like, really, really cold. i know, i know, it's london. but, wow, they don't mess around.

on sunday, we officially ended our 8-day thanksgiving celebration. we joined 130 americans from 12 universities for a thanksgiving feast in leicester square. good times. saw a lot of people we recognized (which is nice) from football games at bodean's and met some more lovely people.

and, that brings me to today, monday. i'm not going to lie. i had a nice lie in -- lay in? -- slept in -- whatever. hit the gym and the sainsburys and then tackled a mountain of laundry. i also cleaned out our tiny refrigerator. something had died (actually, i think a jar of olives leaked) and it was nauseating to be in the kitchen. also tidied the flat and powered through my italian homework. io non parlo le italiano molto bene.

my mom & sister will be here in about 3 weeks. cannot wait!

tomorrow: must get some sewing supplies for handbag class, write some thank you notes and do some christmas shopping.

ciao bella!
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dinner: fish, couscous and green beans. plus, my husband brought home orange tulips (my fav) and a bottle of wine ... mmm

sudoku completed: none, zero, zilch. i think i'm getting over my addiction.

current reading: red tent

gym: body pump

weather: 37 degrees F

highlight: wine & flowers ... and a nice, cozy, tidy flat

in my shoes

wow. i was in some funk last night when i blogged. i had just spent dinner with my hubby's british co-workers trying to validate my life. i know they didn't mean to be rude. in fact, it was pretty entertaining sharing my "spring 2006" handbag collection ideas. it's all about the "brolly pouch" ... just you wait!

so, i think it must have been my own guilt surfacing.

it's weird not to be working. not to have a routine. not to feel needed. not to have my own ca$h.

but, i'm getting over it! :)

so, on to better and brighter things.

i managed to do two - yes two! - loads of laundry today. how, you might ask? well, i started a load of darks around 9am, which were done washing at 11am. half of the load was hung on my drying rack near the living room radiator. the other half was left in the machine and programmed to dry (in the same machine) for two hours. by 1pm, the first load was done. i started the second load of whites and left it to wash for two+ hours (cottons on warm temperature take longer) while i caught a matinee of "In Her Shoes".

i loved it! i'm not going to lie --- i'm a big fan of cameron diaz. she's trashy and endearing at the same time. and toni collette was brilliant. her character reminds me so much of my dear friend nicole. i loved cheering for her and thinking about nicole at the same time. and, i loved watching it by myself. i did call my sister before heading to the theatre and dedicated the viewing to our sisterly love. wish she could have been there with me. but, i sat there and enjoyed my sainbury's sparkling water and special edition kit kat (it was pretty damn good) that i snuck into the theatre. i laughed. i cried. it was a great flick. oh, the matinee price is 6 pounds (about 11 bucks - ouch!).

then, i walked home (.5 miles), hit the market at the tube stop and climbed up the 67 steps to our flat. i made my own version of "homemade" indian food. my hubby actually got home early -- 6:30pm -- and we ate our yummy dinner and watched our 5 free BBC channels.

all in all, it was a good day.

oh, in case you were wondering ... half of the whites went into the dryer for 2 hours around 7pm. the other half went in around 9pm. load #2 will be done any minute now ... how's that for efficient?
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dinner: seeds of change (our favorite new brand) korma curry w/ brown rice. malteasers (another fav new brand) hot chocolate for dessert.

sudoku completed: 1 - but the night is still young ...

gym class: i ditched the gym today.

weather: cold. a high of 45 degrees.

highlight: watching a matinee show of "In Her Shoes" by myself ... so much fun!

i'm sorry

"so, what DO you do with your days???"

I AM SO TIRED OF ANSWERING THIS QUESTION!

i left my job in the states. we moved here with my husband's company. yes, i do have a work permit. no, i'm not working. we're only here for 9 months. this is my opportunity to take time off and explore. explore the city. explore new friends. explore new interests. blah, blah, blah.

sometimes, that answer works and the person kindly nods their head and says, "well, good for you!"

usually, it doesn't.

so, what exactly do you do with your days???

i then explain that i'm taking 3 classes, working out, reading, traveling, shopping, cooking, cleaning ... yes, my life is so very good right now. i have absolutely no complaints. yes, i am very well rested. yes, i am very stress free. yes, i am so very lucky.

and, i'm sorry that it's not you in my shoes, okay?

i'm sorry that i can take daytime and evening courses. i'm sorry that i find typography intersting. i'm sorry that i'm enjoying learning a little italian. i'm sorry that i'm completely fascinated with my handbag design class. i'm sorry that i have time to go to the gym. i'm sorry that i have time to do laundry, go to the grocery store, and make sure the flat is clean & neat. i'm sorry that i enjoy lunch with my friends. i'm sorry that i get to explore the city. and, i'm sorry that that all seems so frivolous and pointless to you.

if it makes you feel better. i only have about 4 months of this lifestyle left and then it's back to the states, back to a job, and back to a truly pointless lifestyle.

i freakin' love living here ... i'm sorry that you don't.
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dinner: fire house pub near waterloo station - bad steak, great chips

sudoku completed: 2

gym class: body combat

weather: sunny, but cold. i need to get a wooly hat. add that to my shopping list!

highlight: babysat my friend's 2-year-old daughter for the afternoon -- she's so cute!