Halloween Eve

Everyone's putting the finishing touches on his/her Halloween costumes, but, in true Saturday tradition, I'm preparing for tonight's dinner party!  I know that Nana's probably horrified that this happens every week, but I love it.  I love entertaining and I love cooking for people.  Add both of these together and you get a weekly dinner party with a rotating cast of characters!  (Plus, you know, I have to have a reason to go to Borough Market every weekend other than just taking a field trip!)

Unfortunately, though, the dinner parties are going to be on hiatus after this weekend because starting next weekend Jon and I will be on donut duty, which will take up almost every Saturday through November.  You see, Jon's maternal aunt and uncle live in Twickenham on the road between Twickenham Station and Twickenham Stadium, the home of English rugby.  On major match days this road is pedestrianized due to the incredibly heavy footfall of fans heading to the games, and so on these occasions Jon's aunt and uncle make and sell donuts from their front garden.  It's incredible - they make a couple thousand pounds every time they set up their stall!  They sell so many donuts (at 6 for £3 or 12 for £5, in case you want to come by) that they rope as many cousins as possible into the endeavour.  It's hard work and takes up the whole day and sometimes the evening too, but it's tons o' fun!

Sorry - I got away from this weekend's Halloween theme.  Oops.

I don't remember what I dressed up as for Halloween as a child.  I know I was a ladybug when I was very young, and in the 7th grade went as the lion from The Wizard of Oz (I was part of a gang that dressed up as the whole crew from the movie) and then in the 8th grade took that role of a devil in a blue dress, but other than that I can't remember at all.  I think I was a witch a couple of years running, but I'm not sure - Mom, help?  I know my sister dressed up as a bride pretty consistently.  Maybe I blocked my own costumes from my mind. Hm.

Anyway, when I think of Halloween I think of villains.  Super-evil villains.  Specifically, Disney villains.  Sure, it would be fun to be a Disney princess, but the meanies are always the more interesting characters.  (By the way, if you click on that last link you'll hear a voice saying, "Welcome to the wonderful world of Disney princesses, where happily ever after happens every day."  Barf - and, at the same time, sigh.  Oh Disney, how you have captured me.)  Everyone has their own favorite Disney villains, just like everyone has their favorite Disney princesses.  (What, you don't have a favorite Disney princess?  What's wrong with you?  Jeez!)  In honor of Halloween, here are mine:

5.  Jafar from Aladdin - I'm sorry, I can't explain this one.  I think that I just like that he never gives up.  He's tenacious.  He really wants absolute power, you know?

4.  Hades from Hercules - okay, he wants power, too, but he also wants to beat his big brother, and who doesn't like a little sibling rivalry in their animated picture?  Plus, he's got a great sense of humor, which is even sexier in a man than flaming hair.  Which he's also got.  Yum.

3.  Scar from The Lion King - yes, he commits regicide and fratricide (at the same time, wow!) but that just shows how committed he is to gaining power.  Wait, I'm starting to notice a theme here with these Disney villains...  But still, he's got the coolest voice of them all.  Jeremy Irons?  I think so!

2. Captain Hook in Peter Pan - this pirate has the best sense of style of any of the Disney villains.  That coat!  Those boots!  That mustache!  And the hook, obviously!  Impressive.  I know that this song isn't from the Disney version of the film, but I can't help but post it.  Hook is Hook is Hook.

1. Ursula from The Little Mermaid - hands down the best villain ever.  Ever.  She's so self-confident in her bad-assed-ness.  She did warn Ariel about what would happen if the princess didn't get a kiss, you know.  She didn't try to hide anything.  Plus, her lipstick is always excellently applied.

Honorable Mention.  Rasputin in Anastasia - no, this isn't technically Disney (it's Fox).  But you've got to love a historically-informed bad guy whose sidekicks are dancing and singing bugs, right?

(Halloween) Frock Fridays

I'm not doing anything for Halloween this year.  Yes, it's becoming a major holiday in the UK - or at least in London, where hordes of American expats have demanded it - but Jon and I don't have any special plans.  Last year I trick-or-treated with the children I babysat, and there's no way to top that!

However...

In honor of Halloween, today's Frock Fridays will feature not just images but video of three of my favorite witches.  No, it's not really frocky - but where would witches be without their outfits?

Anjelica Huston as Morticia in The Addams Family

Bette Midler as Winnie in Hocus Pocus

I desperately want to put a clip of Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz here as the third (and possibly the best), but all the relevant video on YouTube is disabled, so you're going to have to be satisfied with just an image.

via Flaming Sneakers

But... wait for it...

You get a bonus witch, too!  The best Disney witch of all time:

Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty

Ooh, I get shivers just watching these!

Political Depression

I don't really follow politics.  Sure, I blogged about the British elections back in the spring, and I check the New York Times religiously, and when I can I watch Jon Stewart clips online, but I don't know enough about the issues being debated to argue them coherently myself.

That being said, two developments in politics on either side of the pond have been getting me desperately down recently.

Let's start with things Stateside.  What the [expletive] is going on with the midterm elections?  How did the Tea Party get this powerful?  It scares me, it really does.  I'm sorry, but I don't think that elected political leaders should be just that - political leaders.  They should know the fundamentals of the constitution.  They should be sensitive to the racial diversity of the country.  They certainly shouldn't - jeez, I can't go on.  I'm getting too worked up.  But come on, people.  Our political leaders shouldn't compare homosexuality to alcoholism or tell rape victims to make lemonade of lemons or - ah!  Breathe, Betsy, breathe.

We should probably turn to Britain, where things are much calmer - or are they?  The big news of the last week is the massive cuts that the Lib-Con government has proposed.  For me and my work, this has the most impact where the axe is coming down on the arts.  I actually can't go into too much detail here because at this point I'm not sure how much of what I know is internal information and how much is publicly available, but I think everyone here is pretty aware that the arts are screwed.  This is sort of both good and bad for me: arts organizations will be desperate for successful fundraisers and so I am assured of having/finding/keeping employment, but at the same time there will be a lot of pressure to deliver above and beyond projected targets.  Yikes.

Anyway, what do you guys think of everything that's going on?  And is anyone in DC going to the Rally to Restore Sanity this weekend - I wish I could go!

Good Job

Apparently, saying "good job" is a very American thing.  Each time I've heard a non-American say it, they've said done so in a very mocky American accent.  I'm trying to not be obnoxiously American - that's not how you make friends over here - but I hope you will excuse me while I give myself a pat on the back and whisper a hearty "good job" to myself in the mirror.

My three-month probationary period at work ended on Monday, and my review went well.  Not everything that was said was unqualifiedly positive, of course, but it was all constructive and I'm confident going forward into the next three months and beyond that I'm in the right place for me.  I really feel at home in the theatre: I have bonded well with my colleagues throughout the organization, have begun crafting good relationships with our individual donors and our corporate partners, and have successfully organized and hosted two special events so far.  They - the head honchos - recognized this and said that they want to keep me on permanently.

Woop!

Five a Day

I have always been terrible at eating fruits and vegetables.  Terrible.  It's not that I don't like them - I do, for the most part.  I just typically don't reach for them when I'm hungry.

However, I find that I'm more likely to achieve my five-a-day at this time of year.  The bounty of available fruits and vegetables is almost overwhelming in autumn.  You've got summer leftovers  (hello, tomatoes) and winter previews (hello, clementines) plus all the amazing harvest-y goodness usually associated with autumn.

Here are my top five favorite fruits and veggies that I'm enjoying now - and suggestions as to what to do with them, obviously!

5.  Apples - my mother is a huge fan of spiced baked apples, but I have to admit my favorite ways to eat apples are either straight off the tree (or out of the bag, whatever) and in cakes!  I made a brandy/apple/raisin cake for Rosh Hashannah - I'm sorry, I can't find the recipe online - and my go-to simple and quick dessert is an apple crumble.  As the BBC website says, "Serve with nostalgia!"

4. Squashes - I am an equal opportunity squash lover.  Butternut squash?  Bring on the soup - my flatmate Sam makes an excellent one.  Spaghetti squash?  Perfect as a side dish - it's starchy enough to take the place of couscous or rice alongside a meat main.  Acorn squash?  Delicious tossed in pasta - here's another excuse to eat bacon, too.  The possibilities are endless!

3.  Sweet potatoes - regular potatoes are good, but sweet potatoes are even better.  The easiest and most delicious options for sweet potatoes are mashed or roasted (in my humble opinion).  Either way, though, brown sugar is a must!

2.  Mushrooms - evolutionarily, I have definitely grown out of the hunter-gatherer thing, but I would absolutely forage for mushrooms.  I'm not a fungal expert by any stretch of the imagination, so I can't tell you which kinds are best for which dishes.  All I know is that I love them.  Also I know that my mac and cheese with mushrooms is a huge hit in my flat, and every time I make it, it's gone almost before I've taken it out of the oven!

1. Brussels sprouts - apparently I wasn't a fan of Brussels sprouts when I was a kid, but now I'm a convert.  A fanatical convert.  Don't get between me and my Brussels sprouts.  There are tons of options as to how to make them - this looks delicious though I've never tried it - but my favorite way is just tossed with minced garlic and some olive oil and lemon juice and roasted.  Even cold the next day they're amazing!

Oh, nom.  I've just made myself hungry.  Wait - me, hungry for fruits and vegetables?  Autumn must be in the air!

What are your faves?  I'm always looking for new recipes... please share!

Hakuna Matata

A perfect night in after a long week... a takeaway curry, catching up on my blogroll, and The Lion King with Sam.

Things for me to remember when watching Disney films in any sort of company:

1. I make up the words I don't know when singing along.
2. I will sob at least once during the movie.
3. I shouldn't tell anyone that I find cartoon characters attractive.  (Although... Thomas in Pocahontas?  Voiced by Christian Bale?  Hello?  Yes, please!)

via

What Public Transportation

(This was written on Thursday 21 October 2010.)

London is said to have one of the best networks of public transportation in the world, and I have to admit that I have always been able to get to my destination - eventually - despite planned engineering works and unplanned obstacles.  However.  However!  This week has been a disater for TFL.

(A little bit of background: to get to work in the morning, I leave my house by 9 at the latest.  The walk to the tube takes fifteen minutes.  I hop on the Northern line at Clapham South and take it a few stops northbound to Stockwell, where I change to the Victoria line northbound.  I transfer at Green Park to the Jubilee line northbound which takes me to Swiss Cottage, and I'm in the office by 10.  In theory.  The whole thing takes an hour, but it's relatively painless - as I don't have to be at work till 10 I generally miss the crush of rush hour.  When I've aimed to arrive at work at 8:30 or 9 I've been demolished by the crowds.  During the worst of rush hour, you sometimes have to wait on the platform as two or three or more trains go by because you physically can't squish onto the carriage.)

On Monday, the Jubilee line was completely shut down because of a power failure.  This wouldn't have been a huge problem except that they didn't tell us.  At Green Park we were advised that we couldn't transfer to the Jubilee line but didn't say that it was closed, so I figured that with a bit of maneuvering I could make it to Swiss Cottage by switching from the Victoria line to the Bakerloo line at Oxford Circus and then taking the Bakerloo up to Baker Street, where I could hop onto the Jubilee.  But no.  Upon arriving at Baker Street Station we were informed that the entire Jubilee line was out of service.  [Expletive.]  Luckily, I was able to take a bus straight from Baker Street to Swiss Cottage and so only arrived at work 15 minutes late, but still, if you reread this paragraph carefully, you'll see that my journey included three Tube lines and a bus and took 75 minutes.

A pain in the you-know-what, right?  Wait till you hear about Tuesday.

On Tuesday the Victoria line shut down - while I was on the Victoria line.  Luckily, we were at Vauxhall Station and not between stations (I pity the literally thousands of people who had to walk in the dark through Tube tunnels to make it to a station) but at the beginning even the Tube staff didn't know what was going on.  There was a defective train at Finsbury Park, but I think they thought that it would get going eventually because at first the announcer told us to hang tight as we'd be moving again soon.  Twenty minutes later we were informed that, actually, no one was going anywhere via the Victoria line and we'd all better find other options.  I grabbed a bus from Vauxhall Station over the bridge to Victoria Station, another bus from Victoria Station to the Baker Street Station, and a third bus from Baker Street to Swiss Cottage.  Outcome: two Tube lines, three buses, and a journey of an hour and forty-five minutes.  [Expletive, expletive, expletive.]

Wednesay was fine.  Cue sigh of relief.  And this morning - well, I wasn't affected, but the Jubilee line was closed again between Waterloo and Green Park because of God-knows-what.

The moral of the story:  the Tube sucks.  Get it together, TFL!

A Monday Laugh

Here's a joke I read this weekend in the Sunday Times:

Two Jewish women are sitting quietly together, minding their own business.

...

Hahahahaha!

A Walkin' We Will Go

Jon and I are off to the Lake District for the weekend to celebrate our two-year anniversary!  We'll be staying at a lovely inn overlooking Lake Windermere, though Jon is keen to spend as little time in the hotel as possible - apparently the Lake District was created by God to give us walking trails.  So I'm bringing sturdy shoes and my trusty NorthFace and thinking limbering thoughts about trekking for miles along... oh, crap, I'm tired already.  Give me an armchair, a good book, and a fire, please!

(Reading this over my shoulder, Jon says I should be glad we're not camping.  I say it's mid-October - you want to go camping, be my guest, but I'm in the hotel.)

We've decided that, as this is a weekend for quality time, we're not allowed to bring laptops, so I'll have to update you all upon our return.  Don't worry, I'll take lots of photos!

English Roses

I've always liked the idea of having an "English rose" complexion.  That, or being told that my skin is peaches and cream.

But no, alas, and now I can't even claim that I am olive-skinned anymore.  That's right: I've had to switch from my summer tinted moisturizer to my winter tinted moisturizer.  Goodbye tanned skin and fawn, hello pale skin and bisque.  At least Laura Mercier is right there along side me...

I was also thinking about English roses recently because I'm shocked to see that, in gardens all over London and Suffolk, roses are still in bloom!  I don't know enough about gardening to know why or how this is, but it really is lovely to see roses still peeking over fences and climbing up walls.  There was a gorgeous one outside of Jon's parents' house in the country:

Do roses last this long in the States?  I always thought they were an early summer thing... but maybe it's an issue of geography.  Hm.

Meet The Parents and the Parents

I've got another Suffolk weekend with Jon's family ahead of me, except this time I'm not just heading out of town with Jon... I'm going down with my mom and dad, too!  Yes, folks, this is the grand meeting-of-the-parents.  We've got a lot of fun things planned for the weekend - including a yacht race and a visit to Orford Castle - and I think that everyone's going to get along famously.  It's going to be a blast.  But still... wish us luck!

FancyShmancy Celebration Dinner

I'm so dedicated to this blog and to you, dear readers, that even though I am in the throes of a food coma I will still document tonight.

We.  Had.  The.  Best.  Dinner.  Ever.

My parents and Jon and I had our fancyshmancy dinner tonight - there's got to be one every visit, natch - to celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary.  (Happy anniversary, guys!  I love you!  Thank you for getting married and having me!)  We had a very continental 8:30pm reservation at Chez Bruce, which is conveniently just down the road from my house.  I didn't take any photos while there because it really isn't that sort of place, but let me tell you: it was amazing.  I won't tell you what we ordered, either, because that would just be indulgent, but just know that it was amazing.  From the first delicate amuse-bouche to the decadent cheese plate, it was amazing.

If you have an occasion in the near future or are looking for a very special dinner out, I highly recommend Chez Bruce.

Go.  Eat.  And be happy.

The Tube Strikes Again

I have to preface this post by saying that Danielle over at Bloody Brilliant wrote essentially what I wanted to write here before I did.  So, Danielle, I have to apologize for copying you.  But you're so right!

(Read her post first.  Go on, click on the link.  Read it!)

There was another Tube strike on Monday.  Another stupid, pointless, frustrating Tube strike.  I believe the unions are angry about a plan to cut 800 jobs, and I've got to say that striking seems counterproductive when protesting against layoffs.  If you want to prove that you're necessary, don't force people to find ways to get along without you.  Duh.

Anyway.  I did find ways to get along without the Tube - I took a train to Victoria and a bus from there to work - and it wasn't horribly painful, although it was very annoying.  But as ticked off as I was about the inconvenience the strike was causing me and millions of other Londoners, I couldn't help but have the same lightbulb moment I've been having for the past three months:

Hoodies Off

I live here.

I live in London.

How cool is that?

And I realized that, to paraphrase Danielle, however crap a Tube strike may be, it's still sort of glamorous, because it's a Tube strike in London.  And I really shouldn't complain about having to deal with trains and buses and a kajillion other commuters who are absolutely out of sorts (to put it mildly) because I'm in London, and that in and of itself makes all the obstacles (like Tube strikes) much less insurmountable.

This doesn't mean that I'm going to stop bitching about things like Tube strikes.  I'm not.  (Call them "cultural differences," if you'd like.)  But I know and you know that behind all the moaning (never complaining) there's a thought.  There's a lightbulb moment:

I live here.

I live in London.

How cool is that?