How's the paper coming Maven? Any better. I'm baking bread over here. I think I might have ruined it, but we'll see. I'm hoping I get better at it. I just can't find nice, reasonable priced bread. And the last loaf I made actually lasted 4 days. I don't know why it lasts longer here than it did in Ireland but I'm happy it did.

What kind of bread do you make? I went through a phase of making bread back home but I have not had much bread of late since we mostly eat tortillas. I did have a wonderful sandwich from the Sequoia sandwich company on 'squaw bread'. I would love to try making that, or rye or sourdough.

Oh and did I mention that:

Social Security Card has arrived
We went to get our boxes, which was a big pain in the ###, but we have them and all but 2 mugs arrived in perfect condition
Our couch arrived!! We have a couch!!
This morning C was visiting a compnay that he would LOVE to work for, and turns out they have openings, and he's going to apply directly to the guy that he met today, very excited about that!
I'm still looking for a job, but i'm running out of motivation for it. Hopefully going to get some resume's out later today.

I'm just making regular white yeast bread for the moment. You can't get the proper ingredients here, or I would have made soda bread (it's waaay easier). I used to make loads of Italian style bread with herbs etc baked in, but my oven was crap in London, so I haven't made any for the last 4 years or so. I'm starting back by keeping it simple, and hopefully will get back in the swing enough to keep myself from having to spend loads on the 'artisan' breads just to get the quality I'm used to.

Sorry for triple posting but I can't believe that a$$ was censored!!! Are we kids???

Sadly we are treated as such far too often on VJ.

Regarding breads, my mom makes soda bread all the time. What type of ingredients can't you find?

PS: Irish brown bread - YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Well tbh I haven't looked that hard, but in England buttermilk wasn't the same as what we called buttermilk in ireland. Also i find it hard to get pinhead oatmeal, i don't know if other people use it, but my mum always did, gives it a really nice nutty taste.

Mmmm - I want to get to baking but I made a pasta bake last night and in the 20 minutes or so that it took, I was so hot in our kitchen that I needed to take a shower... It is HORRIBLE! I want to be all Delia-like and domesticated but I just can't get my head around it in this heat - and it didn't even hit 100 yesterday!

Pointy - sounds like things are coming together at last! Is your sofa as sexy as our pastel Burberry one?

You shouldn't let Jeremy leave his g-string out on the floor like that! He needs to learn to pick up after himself



I can make a decent banana bread but I've never attempted anything that would need yeast.

Maybe it was an American thing, but does anyone remember in the early 90's how breadmachines were in? Everyone's mom had one and every bride got one for her wedding.

well i burned my finger but the bread is perfect! Light and fluffy on the inside and nice and crusty outside, nom nom nom.

much lighter than the last one i made (so it will probably go off faster. I just used dry yeast to make a starter, and kept some since the last loaf i made, i followed these really great instructions if anyone is interested. For the actual bread, i only used 1 tsp of salt and 1 of sugar.

Does it work if you type "asss" instead? I was thinking about this earlier today -- sad, I know. I had seen a post yesterday where the OP had meant to type "as" but stuck in an extra s at the end. Result? Something like: "### I was saying earlier, I think ### adults we should..." etc etc.

Paper? Bleh. Getting there.

It's funny - people insult each other with impunity in off topic, you can have threads about hookers and swinging, but you can't say a$$ because it's a family website. Go figure.


My life is not my own either - huge presentation due tomorrow!

And all sorts of misogynist bullcr@p and why any true red-blooded American male should choose a bride from overseas and whatnot.

VJ, meh.

And for all of that I say (NSFW, people)

I said it before, I'll say it again -- Robin, I'm glad to call you FRIEND!

Dang - I must teach him to pick up after himself

*swipes the feathery thong out of the way while no-one is looking*

Golden Girls!

My friend Tony loves the 1-800-Pet-Meds commercials Betty White does. As he says: "Betty White. Cuddly animals. Prescription drugs. What's there NOT to like?"

Now, I'm going to take a wild guess that Tony is a friend of Dorothy?

Ding ding ding! You win today's star prize: a bread machine!

You should keep your couch luau style!!! It was cool! I am actually really happy with my couch. The horrible £80 Ikea futon we had in London as a 'stopgap' pi$$ed me off for 3 and a half years. I just couldn't deal with that again, so I splurged on it. Also my parents gave me some money towards it and it pulls out to make a bed, so they can stay on it when they come here, rather than paying for a hotel, so it's good all round. C doesn't like it all that much, but refused to have an opinion when we were shopping, so that's what happens!

Aly, you should really switch to saucepan cooking till the heat is a bit more tolerable. There's a reason that Asian, Southern, Mexican and Mediteranean cooking is pot based, it's easier to deal with in the heat

Oh and I've figured out my spontaneous baking. I mean I've been dying to have a nice kitchen and proper (functioning) oven for ages. But the real reason, I'm a few days from having my period. Does anyone else get the sudden urge for cleaning and baking sprees at this time?? I used to when I had a nice kitchen before, and it's come back now

P.S. Bread machines are for wusses

We're going to get some throw or cover or something to cover up the nastiness but in the meantime it's ok as it is - it's only us that has to put up with it - besides - we won't have to decorate it for halloween!! It's scary enough as it is!!!

It is reasonably comfy though and it is pretty big which is nice if I feel like lying down on it for a change of scenery from the bedroom

Saucepan cooking is ok - I do a fair amount of that but then it all tends to be a bit too stodgy so I don't really want to eat it in the heat! I think salads are the way forward I swear if we had a bigger/nicer kitchen then I might be more inclined to cook - of course, it is prolly just an excuse

Hmmm - not sure about cooking and baking sprees - I tend to want to eat lots, but cooking? Nah... And cleaning is just something I have to do before I can relax - Jeremy doesn't get it - he prefers to put things off but I like to get everything that needs doing out of the way

oh you should see the russian forum.

good morning all.

I've seen it all before in the various corners of VJ. I become overcome with jealousy that if only I'd been born in the third world, I could have twice the man my husband is (in weight and volume and age that is)

I wonder if this applies to red-blooded American women?



LMAO @ twice the age and weight. I wish I could have been an attractive, subservient wife with an anchor baby too!

Zing!

Crap day. Crap weather. The the TV we just bought a month ago has died. Seriously...we have #### luck with TV's.

Ginger - try a thrift store! We have a tv that is ancient, has lived at Jeremy's aunt's house (which is a hole) forever and has a clear picture and works fine Of course, now I have said that, it will prolly blow up on us later

We bought our tv off craigslist for $50 - still going strong!

$40 at Sal's Boutique (aka the Sally Army). 29" Toshiba, great picture and sound.

Well it seems like its ok now. I gave it a good punch on top, which brought the picture back. That will teach it for making me think I wont get to see the Newcastle match tomorrow!!

Waits for the punch back from the tv..

Damn that EAD wants to hurry up!

Perhaps you can ease your shame by producing 5 kids or so. You know, make him feel big and manly that way

Only 5? Amateur!

Having said that, I recall that, being American/Western women, we are apparently anatomically correct for pushing puppies out without even noticing (cf. the vibrator thread the other week.)

I was thinking more along the lines of quitting my job so I would have more free time to worship him...and sit on the sofa watching daytime television while eating bon bons.

Damn you, woman! Stop stealing all my best ideas!

Of course, that is if we notice them being born in the first place

Exactly my point.

Okay, I am going to shut up now and finish this effing paper.

Each of the 3 times I left the hospital with a new infant, I wondered, where exactly he/she came from? I didn't notice a thing!

Now maven, go finish your effing paper!

I didn't realise it was a paper about effing - I am sure we can all help you out with that!!

I'm actually concerned I've been mislaying infants all over the place because I didn't know I even had them

Hahaha. This is the biggest laugh I've had since ....the vibrator thread the other week. Thanks!

Good point, Robin. The three I have are just the ones I know about. Since childbirth is so effortless, I could actually have dozens of unaccounted for children.

Reminds me of the Monty Python sketch in Meaning of Life when the catholic mum, a.k.a Terry Jones, pops another one out whilst doing the dishes "deirdre, can you get that for me?'

huh! you western women needing cotton wool treatment for childbirth!!



oh nooooo, I haven't been looking out for them!!

It's ok - just look for the trail

Is it like the kind of thing a slug leaves?

Maybe but I was thinking more along the line of breadcrumbs

Won't you be bored?