Saturday, January 26, 2008

First Week (I think)

We just got here really, but it feels like we've been here for weeks. We have packed a lot in since January 15. We stayed at Paul's mom's house the first few days, which of course was a nightmare of mother-in-law proportions. Which is why we were quick to impose on our friends Terry and Stu. They have a seriously large Edwardian terrace house on the high street, it's beautiful and we are barely in the way. We have our own room, the internet, on demand cable and Stu is a fantastic cook.
Our new room

Our new roommates

A fine example of the typical English back garden also the view from our room
Just two days after setting up house at Terry & Stu's we were off to Newcastle so Paul could earn some money and I could convalesce after catching a nasty cold. I didn't get out much because it was snowing but I did manage to get myself to the window for a few photos. They don't do any justice to how beautiful Newcastle is, as we were staying in a more industrial area right by the arena.

This isn't a good shot but you can see the Metro Radio Arena (with the green roof) where Paul was working for the "Strictly Come Dancing" show. I had a peek at the show itself and I can only describe it as very cheesy and glittery. They should have called it "Strictly Come If You're Really Old And Like To Clap". I think it's like America's "Dancing With The Stars".

After all that work we figured we really deserved a break and some fun. We went into town where our friends were playing at St. Anne's Church. They reformed their band from college and played some of their old tunes. Just cause it was in a church doesn't mean there wasn't a bar opposite the stage.

We had wine and cheesecake with our friends Penny, Chris and their cat Lydia

It's so great to be staying at Terry and Stu's. I feel really grounded and secure here, which is the most important thing for my sanity right now. And Terry has a fantastic hairdryer for me to borrow. We can walk to Maria's house from here which will save us lot in taxi and bus fare. And it's also within walking distance of the local Sainsbury's (the grocery store) and some good pubs like the Prince Of Wales.
All in all we landed in the best situation we could ask for. I just hope Paul and I can find a place soon so we don't out stay our welcome. We have a viewing scheduled tomorrow for a house in Kings Heath .Yeah, it's not much to look at but you never know what lies behind the doors of terraced houses, they often surprise me. But since Kings Heath is such a popular area I reckon this one is so cheap (if you can call the equivalent of $1100 dollars per month "cheap") because the inside matches the outside. I'll keep you posted.

What Tickles My Pickle About England Is The BBC! The TV viewing here is amazing, especially for only having 5 channels. I could list off loads of great shows on offer here but instead I will share one random nights viewing that really stuck in my head. I was sick in the hotel in Newcastle with a runny nose, stuffy head and sore throat. All I wanted was to tuck into some crap telly. Now, I'm used to the states where even the no tell motels have free cable. But that's not really done here. So as soon as I was able to hunker down in bed and relax, I turned on the TV and quickly found that only 5 channels were available. Shit! How will I ever get over this cold with no cable TV?? But to my surprise I found not only one great thing to watch but three!! I was torn between "The Super Skinny & Super Sized" (a fascinating program about a really, really thin girl and a really, really fat woman who have to swap diets for a week. They cook the meals they normally would for themselves but then hand it over to the other person. The skinny girl had to eat 4-5 dinners through out the night), "Total Isolation" (I know! Let's see what happens when you put people in a totally dark room and not talk to them at all for 2 days! Brilliant! They all went crazy by the end), "Ladette To Lady" (this show is pure crap but that's exactly why you watch, they take a group of boozy, rude sluts and send them to finishing school at Eggleston Hall.) The only problem was that all these shows were on at once! What would you have picked?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm begining to envy the sound of five channels of crazy reality shows ("Total Isolation" has GOT to be one of the greatest ideas), but reality TV just isn't the same without Top Model!