10 great things I saw today

1) Snowdrops and crocuses

2) Ladybirds on a rosemary plant

3) Venus-Jupiter-Moon conjuction

4) Youtube videoes from CGP Grey

5) My brother lying in a pool of his own (virtual) blood

6) The UK Parliament

7) A Magnum mini

8) A kiddush plate

9) Sculls in the park

10) Two of my friends

 

Three foods I'm excited about

I still haven't gotten the hang of cooking for one.  I cook for two and tell myself I'll have leftovers, but I never do.  This is why I've put on a stone* in the last 4 months.  However, while I've been playing in the kitchen, I've 'rediscovered' a few favorites:

1) Dates.  I bought them to put in a smoothie, and then I ate them all and had to go back to the shop.  Delicious!

2) Limes.  I know, so silly, but I've been squeezing them into everything lately -- cranberry juice, a papaya smoothie, over veggies.  Just amazing.

3) Creamy garlic dressing.  The recipe is so simple -- you throw 8 garlic cloves and 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice into a blender, and while blending you slowly pour 3/4 cup of olive oil in to make a nice creamy dressing.  The recipe I used called for some liquid amino acids (i.e. soy sauce) which made the sauce turn beige; tasted delicious, but I want to try again without.  This recipe also called for a three-inch piece of ginger; I used a one-inch piece and it was still fiery!  Can't say all that oil is healthy, but over raw or steamed veggies, nothing beats it.

* 14 pounds

Verbal diarrhoea

(And yes, that's the British spelling.)

I know I suffer from this nervous condition, as I tend to fill up all available silence with my own voice, generally talking shite.  I think this has become worse as I've been living alone and working from home, as I don't get to socialize as often, and so the little part of my brain that filters what I say (which has always been a little wonky) is now completely broken.  However, tonight I went so far over the line, even I was aghast.  On a first date with a girl from the Czech republic, I asked why Hitler wanted to kill the Slavs.

To her credit, she actually answered the question.  She wasn't sure what Hitler had against Slavs, other than they weren't Aryan, but she did tell me that many blond-haired blue-eyed children were taken from their parents and given to German parents to raise.  I had no idea.

Otherwise, the date went fine.

Renault ads

This is such a great commercial:
http://youtu.be/3axug8TEPII

This is pretty funny, too:
http://youtu.be/1pwN-yiho4M

Accidental security

The world being what it is, synagogues have to provide security at services.  At the London synagogue I attended, all members were expected to participate once or twice a year.  I joined the Maidenhead synagogue in December,  but no one had contacted me about security detail, so last Friday I asked.

Huge mistake.

It turns out Maidenhead has a small team of volunteers who provide security once or twice a month.

And I had just volunteered.

I actually don't mind.  For some reason, I'd wanted to give something back, perhaps because the way the rabbi welcomed me, or maybe because the London synagogue had given me so much.  For whatever reason, I was happy to help out.

Today I met with the head of the security team, who has been doing this for 27 years.  I thought we'd take an hour or so -- we took three, plus I have a follow-up appointment with the caretaker to go over the building procedures, and then I have to shadow three other details, on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday service!  Then I'll be allowed to stand out front and open the gate for people.

Is it overkill?  Perhaps. There have been no incidences in Maidenhead in 27 years, other than being picketed once during the 2009 Gaza blockade.  However, the 'Community Support Trust' (which coordinates security information for the Jewish community in the UK) documented almost 600 incidences in the UK in 2011.  (You can read more here.)

So that's it.  I won't get a badge or a star or anything other than the satisfaction of helping the community.  I've never done that before--should be interesting.

At 32

At 32, I had just started working for American Honda, making great money, working with a fantastic team, cycling into work, had lots of responsibility, and for perhaps the first time in my life really loved my job.

At 32, I accidentally became vegetarian.

At 32, I had been in a relationship for over 10 years, and was quite sure it would last forever.

At 32, I'd been living in the same house for 6 years, longer than I'd lived anywhere in my life.

At 32, I was just beginning to plan the bed and breakfast, which would eventually cost me my savings, my home, and my relationship.

At 32, I'd never lived outside of Los Angeles, and had only been out of the country twice -- a European trip when I was 19, and a trip to the Canary Islands 10 years later.

At 32, I never wanted to have children.

At 32, I didn't know how much I could love someone.

At 32, I had a great life, but I hadn't really lived.

Longest-running West End shows

These are the longest running shows that are currently still running:

1. Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap at the St Martin's Theatre – opened 25 November 1952 – 60th year
2. Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre – opened 8 October 1985 – 27th year
3. The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre – opened 9 October 1986 – 26th year
4. Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre – opened 28 July 1988 – 24th year
5. The Woman in Black at the Fortune Theatre opened 15 February 1989 – 23rd year
6. Chicago at the Garrick Theatre opened 18 November 1997 - 15th year
7. Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales Theatre – opened 6 April 1999 – 13th year
8. Disney's The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre – opened 19 October 1999 – 13th year
9. We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre – 14 May 2002 – 10th year
10. Stomp now at the Ambassadors Theatre opened 25 September 2002 – 9th year

Interesting that 8 out of 10 are musicals, including Blood Brothers, which I saw last night (albeit the touring version in Reading).  The music was instantly forgettable, but its saving grace was a lead actor, Sean Jones, who moved from a 4-year-old kid to an adult having a psychotic breakdown, and everything in between, with absolute genius.  The final scene was so tense, it was hard to believe that scarcely an hour before he'd been pretending to ride a horse around stage!  I really wish him great things.

You can't go home again

You could say I had a bit of a breakdown at Trader Joe's the other day. It wasn't the fantastic selection of nuts, wines, and frozen vegetarian foods; it was the memories associated with so many products, and the different stages of my life. The ak-mak crackers were from my late teens, a period of discovering new foods, books, and music, and really defining myself. The dalmatia fig spread was my mid-twenties, buying a house near a Whole Foods market, settling down, and socialising. The meatless corn dogs took me back 10 years, when I accidentally went vegetarian and had to rediscover eating all over again.  The "volcano" coffee is what I served at the B&B, after discovering a Trader Joe's had opened 45 minutes away  The cashews were a sad reminder of when I finally decided to cut nuts out of my diet because of a mild allergic reaction (although I still cheat occasionally).  But the most poignant item were the blue corn tortilla chips, which just reminded me of my dad, gone 17 years last week.

It's funny to consider my history in terms of foodstuffs, but I guess that's what history is made of--not the sharp highs and lows but the daily grind. I'm grateful to have had all these wonderful experiences and times in my life, and to be able to relive them through such simple reminders.  However, at the moment I really miss that stability and financial freedom I once enjoyed, and so the memories can be bittersweet.

But in writing this, I discovered that Trader Joe's was bought by a German company which also operates the Aldi stores in the UK.  4 years here and I've not been to an Aldi's, but there is one less than a mile from my house, so I will be checking them out soon!