Cheese for sure - it does fine out of the fridge and should be eaten at room temperature anyway

Dunking biscuits? Worcestershire sauce without corn syrup in, vegetable stock cubes, marmite...

I asked my mum to stick some heat patches into a little box she is sending me - the sticky kind you can put on your tummy - they are sooo cool and are like a quid in Asda I could really use one about now...

Six months until mum comes to visit Feels like forever

maybe cheese. though the last time I asked someone go sent me cheese she was bringing it to me from Ireland with a cardigan I'd left behind. She got it, put it with my cardigan in a bag and got distracted. Then she left her apartment for a few days with the cheese left out on the counter. She said her apartment stunk when she got back, and so did my cardigan. Maybe mum will be more careful.

I just looked at the worcestershire sauce I bought over here, and it does have HFCS in it!! But I don't use it enough to care. I don't have any problem finding powdered stock either, it's just in larger containers, not cubes. No Asda in Ireland, so no heat thingies.

Ok, so far biscuits, maybe just a smidge of cheese. I think I might cave on the sausages too. Hmmmm what else. You know what I really want is Batchelors beans and peas, but they'd be far too heavy to bring.


Next question, what on earth should I do with them???

oh they're bringing enough Barry's tea for themselves, and how on earth could I forget Cadbury's chocolate, and oh my god, I want tunnocks teacakes!!!!

Eat them all!!!

How will you manage with the sausages? I thought customs were funny about meat coming across? Ohhh for some yummy proper sausages...

Well they are, but the worst that can happen is that they're confiscated. Now what I don't know is how they would keep them at a low enough temperature the whole time... hmmmmm

I meant, what should I do with my parents and brother and sister! I need places to send them for days at a time, so they're not under my feet the whole time!!!

Ohh,.. maybe eating your family is a bad idea...

With LA you shouldn't have too many problems - there are beaches, Hollywood, Downtown, all the touristy things that I have never seen ANd Universal Studios!! We should have a VJ LA meetup at Universal - that would be cool

So - I finally presented the presentation from hell that I have been working on for the past month and it was a resounding success! Only one more presentation to go and I can breathe easy!

And we got our NOA1 for LOC - hooray!



Poiteen - take your mother to the Getty Centre - especially if it's a clear day. The view up there is incredible! Also take her to the Griffith Park Observatory and for a ride up Mullholland Dr (if the driving isn't too scary for you)

Also - Huntingdon Library is good if you feel like making the trip - the gardens there are lovely

http://www.huntington.org/Information/HEHGeneral.html

Great news on the NOA and the presentation!!!

Is it sad to think that I almost miss the kind of pressure involved in things like that?! I want to go back to uni just so I can stress out about having to hand assignments in all the time!!

Look at me I am in the UK FORUM

I'm here with you

SWEET!!!! What now UK? Russian Dominance!!!!

No to the sausages Pointy, not worth it & prolly won't make it thru. Not to mention very unsafe to eat after 11+ hours out of fridge.

Peas & beans can go in checked luggage!

I second the Getty, drive up the coast to Malibu, drive up to Santa Barbara. Drive South to some pretty beaches or San Diego.

Universal Studios, LACMA, Hollywood Bowl, Disney.

The list is endless....

Congrats on the NOA!!! Is it weird to be back to NOA's after all this time?

i guess I have to admit the sausages are a bad idea. In truth I can get most things that I want here, they're just a bit more expensive.

They're going to be here for almost 3 weeks, so I think they're going to try to get all the way to San Fran, and perhaps Vegas. But I have duly noted all the local attractions mentioned. The Griffith Observatory has amazing views I will definitely make them go there. I got my Dad a California travel book for Christmas, but it's always good to get local recomendations.

It was weird updating a timeline after 2 years off such concerns. Since I sent the package of almost 2 weeks ago and didn't get the NOA until now I experience that very familiar "immigration panic" that my package was lost, rejected, thrown in the rubbish. But alas the mail is just slow. It seems CSC is fast at processing I-751s so I'm hoping at least one part of the process will be quick for us.

Do your parents like hikes at all? Some really nice ones to be had in the Santa Monica mountains.

Congrats, Robin, on your NOA1!!

I am happy to report that the sale of my former resince will be closed today at 1:30 PM! Wooohooo!! I'll only own one house!!!!!

Congrats on the NOA. Hopefully Tom and I will be getting our very first one soon.

good morning and goodbye! i'm off to brazil for vacation.

Oooh - have a lovely time Charles

Hmmm - Robin I can totally understand the panic feeling although I am a bit blase about it now for AOS etc. I just wish that my cases would even show online because since biometrics there hasn't been anything at all

Congrats Robin! Congrats to Julez!! And have a great vacation, Charles!!

I haven't been on here for a week and I feel like I missed a lot. It has been a weird week in the Gareth's Girl Household....I interviewed for at UC Davis in their Geology Dept and got offered the job right away which was super fantastic and totally awesome. However I have now been dealing with the prats at my current job. I gave them two weeks and they got upset and wanted me to give them till November 3rd. I can deal with the comments and attitude, but the owner's son and brother-in-law are tettering pretty close to the line of sexual harrassment which everybody seems to think is ok (I guess they figure I don't count as an employee since it is my last two weeks so they can be gross and ghetto all they want). I am so done with them now and am almost ready to make today my last day....that or punch one of them in the face. Whatever....I am excited about my new position at UC Davis....I have been trying forever to get on there and now I am. Yeah!

Congrats on your new job!!! It sounds like you really need a change of scenery. I'd hate to work with/for jerks like that. Good luck getting through the next few weeks.

Thanks! I hope I don't lose my temper. They are totally morons and I don't really think understand the serious legal trouble they can get into for some of the comments and behavior they are allowing. Idiots.

Yay! Wtg GG!!! What will you be doing there?! SOunds like everything is falling into place which is great news!!

I will be doing Admin work. We support the faculty mostly. I couldn't believe how awesome the benefits and pay was. I think I did a lot of air punching and jumping when I found out I got it. Gareth laughed at me.

I've been doing lots of baking too...I guess the fall weather here brings it out of me.

Yesterday I made 3 dozen cupcakes...1/2 chocolate and 1/2 yellow cake, all with fudge frosting. I got a can of the Duncan Heinz cake decorating stuff but I'm not very good at it...the ones I did make look like crap. Oh well, no one gives a shiz when they taste good.

Also made a few loaves soda bread (two white, one whole wheat), a shepard's pie and likely something else for my par-tay tomorrow.



Yay...congrats on getting rid of one of the homes. Please keep the other...I think I know a lot of people who will be living in refridgerator boxes soon.



If you lose your temper...what do you have to lose at this point? It's good not to burn bridges, but when it comes to someone being unappropriate towards you I think it's ok to burn that one.

Otherwise, I've just emereged from a cocoon of work. It's been insane here and I was put in charge by one of the execs to do some projects very important to the company...which is cool. Hard part is I was basically given very little instruction as to how to go about this and present it...I got some vague guidelines and have had to fill in the blanks. I really hope it comes out as she wants...the cool thing is she seems to think I can handle the job but I don't want to epically fail y'know?

Ginger - in my last job before I moved I was temping so I was only in the position for 2 1/2 months yet had the area manager of Avon Fire and Rescue absolutely loving me (I got champagne as a leaving present ). My job there was very vague and I had little instruction - I was just kind of told what was wanted/needed and asked for my opinion/suggestions.

My strategy was always to make it up as I went along - if something didn't work, I tried something else. If I got really stuck, I asked, and if no-one could answer me then I figured no-one cared enough for it to be done in a specific way Training my replacement was really fun - she freaked out at how many little bits there were to do on a daily basis and didn't think she could do it and I taught her my strategy - she totally didn't believe me until she saw me working through things!!

I guess what I am trying to say is that maybe the freedom is a good thing - generally if you are left to your own devices then you are trusted and there is no specific way things need to be done - otherwise surely that would be requested from the off!? You'll do great

British Pound Exchange Rate
1GBP = 1.69USD

glad we got my money over when it was 1.96...

The UK economy is sliding as well and the local press was talking about a worldwide recession... I don't know how much of it is scaremongering though...

Bleh - just had an e-mail from my mum saying that I got a letter from the DVLA saying I need to renew my car tax. Now this isn't my previous car that I sold taxed etc. It's the car that I SOLD a year ago after it failed its MOT. I declared it SORN as well so I have no clue why they want me to renew the tax on it - grr Have sent them an e-mail but how dumb

Today Griff and I drove up to Niagara on the Lake in Canada. We ate lunch at The Olde Angel Inn, where Griff had real (yes, real!) sausages with onion gravey and mash, baked beans in tomato sauce and peas & carrots. He was in heaven! I went for the fish & chips, which were OK. We washed it down with two pints of Harp. Refreshing!

The we stopped at this shop called the Scottish Loft and bought some tasty treats. A large jar of small chunk Branston Pickle ($7.49 egad!) Tunnocks Tea Cakes, Custard creams, Victory Vs, 3 CurlyWurly, Digestive Biscuits and some Hobnobs. All together we spent $25 Canadian, which was worth it!

We later popped into another shop, where low and behold, they had pork pies!!! Griff had only been lamenting earlier this morning how much he misses pork pies, so we bought 2. Have yet to try them, so hopefully they're close to the real thing! Quite a few shops also sold sausage rolls and cornish pasties. But you can only eat so much fresh food, so we'll have to go back for another visit soon. Its only an hour drive and its such a lovely town, that its well worth the visit.

Sounbds gorgeous Julez I did notice from your facebook status that you had had a good time

Well...I lost my temper today and walked out after completing half my shift. Left my supervisor a letter of resignation as of today due to recent unacceptable behavior. My boss (who is also the owner of the company I work for) walked down to my office threw a golf tee at my head and gave me a dirty look. Have no idea why he did it at all. I packed up my things and left. I have never dealt with such immature, unprofessional behavior in my whole life. It is just mind boggling. Oh well. That is behind me now. At least I can start my new job sooner. I will be starting there on Monday. I am looking forward to that

threw a gold tee at you? Now that is just bizarre! Sounds like you are best out of there

Basically I've been making it up as I go along. Just nervous when it is so important to the company...I don't want to do anything to cause any more problems than my company already has!

Working tomorrow too...blah. Anyways, I get paid double time...which will be nice when the paycheck comes. I'm a bit behind on some of my student loan payments so this will help me be current.

Sorry....typo....he threw a golf tee at me



And it was extremely bizaree.

Definitely bizarre. You did the right thing.

It was a really fun afternoon! And the pork pies were decent. Not like in the UK, but close enough to satisfy the craving.

Hmmm now I am jealous!! Although I have just made a minestrone soup which smells gorgeous Just need to heat it up for a bit when Jeremy comes in and we're good to go

GG - that is a really weird thing to do - not only that but the guy owns the company?! I mean - how can he run a company when he treats people so badly?! At least you have your nice new job to look forward to *and* you know that even though they wanted you to stay longer, now they are screwed - at least for a little while

Saw Stereolab last night at the Vic here in Chicago. What a show!! Best gig of the year by a mile. The spirit of Neu! was in the house.

I cant beleive that Pizza Hut in the Uk have changed their name to Pasta Hut

Does anyone know if they are doing that in the states as well

It seems ridiculous to me

Are they really?!? That seems a bit... odd...

Maybe it is to try and negate the fast food image because of the huge healthy eating kick over there?

It seemed odd to me to

They interviewed the CEO and he admitted that pasta sales are only 5% of their sales, so it makes not sense to me

why fix something that is not broken and everyone will still call it pizza hut, and the logo is the same just the word change

waste of money if you ask me

Hey all -- still here in Connecticut. It's been kind of a mixed bag out here. On the one hand, I've had some great meetings and a really exciting roundtable that my center convened in New York last week. I also got a chance to road trip it up to Maine with my mom on Thurs-Sat -- I had a job interview of sorts with a think tank up there and it looks like I will be an adjunct researcher with them soon, so more work coming my way. The foliage was so amazing and the weather was just perfect -- New England in the fall is almost heart-stoppingly beautiful.

However, some bad news. My lovely, wonderful, cranky and adorable cat Hugo died on Friday, when I was in Maine. Yes, he was elderly (17 in August) but up until the day before he died he was still running around and eating like a horse. We knew the end would be coming soon, but it hasn't made it any better for us who are still around to mourn him. He had kidney failure, which hadn't been the case on the last visit to the vet's in June. In fact, they had pronounced him healthy, if a bit fragile. Hugo couldn't walk on Friday morning, so my dad took him to the vet. It turned out his kidneys had failed, and he had developed cancer. He wasn't yet in any pain, but the best thing was for him to be put to sleep.

Hugo was born the day I left for college. He was the only surviving kitten (of two) that my sweet, sweet cat Peeper ever had. He was stubborn and cranky, loved spiral ham and cheese, ate broccoli and bread with gusto, put the fear of god in dogs far larger than him, once befriended a silver fox, considered lounging in and pouncing out of flower beds the height of fun. He was gigantic -- at one point nearly 22 pounds and nearly all muscle. He was one of those black and white tuxedo cats, and he hated all orange marmalade cats on principle. He came running every time I opened the fridge, even on the day before he died, the last day I saw him. I gave him some chicken, and he looked up at me with the sweetest expression afterwards. I said to my mom, "Doesn't he look just like he did when he was a kitten?"

I was a child when he was born. Now I'm a woman with two marriages under her belt and two transatlantic moves. I've loved and lost and been hired and fired. And every time I came home, there was Hugo to greet me. He trusted me more than anyone else, and I tried never to let him down. And even though I'm an atheist, I like to think there's somewhere warm and fun and sweet that good animals go. And I'm sure Hugo's there with his mommy now, eating spiral ham and sunbathing in a choice bed of daisies.

Pasta hut?! Is it April fools yet? Whatever next... Salad King?!

Sorry to hear about Hugo, Maven. That's tough. I look forward to having a cat again one day.

Sorry to hear about Hugo, maven. It's hard to lose pets - they are often in your life longer than many friends and sometimes more loyal.

I am so sorry for your loss, I still miss my dog Tosh after years since he went to doggy heaven. It is like losing a member of your family
my thoughts are with you at this sad time

Shaz

For Maven.

May Hugo rest in peace.