So yesterday we picked up a friend of Jude and her bf from the airport, finished off the leftovers, caught up on work, watched The Sixth Sense for the first time since Singapore, drove 45miles to the Detroit Sketchy's and managed to make it back in time for drinks before the bar closed.
I still haven't lost any of the 5lbs that I gained in Mexico (I blame the champagne buffet - give me alcohol and I'm able to eat my own weight in muffins) but I've not gained anything either. Guess that means hitting the gym today.
I tried to sign up for Pilates yesterday but the woman behind the counter was having none of it. She wanted me to wait until Jan 2nd and so I will wait. Weird as I had the $650 they want from me in my pocket and ready to go.
Don't have much of a plan for today - will check out Arborweb later and of course there's a slew of Oscar contending movies (or puportedly Oscar contending) in the cinema at the moment. But first I must haul my ass over to the gym.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
All play and no work
makes Steve a dull boy.
It's Boxing Day and I'm itching to go out and take some pictures around town. In fact what I really want to do is get in the car, drive somewhere gorgeous and take pictures there.
The reason? Well it's gloriously sunny; the tempertauere has risen from -8c this morning to 5c now and the skies are bluer than the eyes of an only child.
Actually what I really want to do is go to work. There's lots to be done and I'm just itching to roll up my sleeves and get on with it. But the office is closed for now and the people that I need to talk with to get things done need some time away from the office in order to be worth talking to. So this break becomes a strange limbo.
Still there's a Sketchy's tomorrow. I have a lovely new camera to play with. The dog is very much enjoying the walks and of course the refridgerator is full of food that could use some loving preparation.
Yesterday's food was rather a success. A great mushroom and pine nut soup, a spinach salad, a fennel fish with Christmas nutloaf and Jude's now famous Key Lime Pie (with whipped cream)... we've both vowed to do it again and to do it again soon. I quite like tis cooking thing - though the gym thing that came as a consequence this morning was rather more arduous.
It's Boxing Day and I'm itching to go out and take some pictures around town. In fact what I really want to do is get in the car, drive somewhere gorgeous and take pictures there.
The reason? Well it's gloriously sunny; the tempertauere has risen from -8c this morning to 5c now and the skies are bluer than the eyes of an only child.
Actually what I really want to do is go to work. There's lots to be done and I'm just itching to roll up my sleeves and get on with it. But the office is closed for now and the people that I need to talk with to get things done need some time away from the office in order to be worth talking to. So this break becomes a strange limbo.
Still there's a Sketchy's tomorrow. I have a lovely new camera to play with. The dog is very much enjoying the walks and of course the refridgerator is full of food that could use some loving preparation.
Yesterday's food was rather a success. A great mushroom and pine nut soup, a spinach salad, a fennel fish with Christmas nutloaf and Jude's now famous Key Lime Pie (with whipped cream)... we've both vowed to do it again and to do it again soon. I quite like tis cooking thing - though the gym thing that came as a consequence this morning was rather more arduous.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Oh
Oh and this is Velcro.
In her car friendly, belt me in harness.
She seems to like it.
She loves the dog run more though
In her car friendly, belt me in harness.
She seems to like it.
She loves the dog run more though
For those people as sad as me
There have been some people who wanted to know more about The Death Star (for which I received black furry dice this morning)... so for those people here are some details (for the rest of you there's nothing to see here people, nothing to see)
So it's a 2008 Ford Mustang coupe premium with a 4.0l V6 engine and a manual transmission (automatics ae for grannies and people who get whipped cream in their hot chocolate)
As well as all of the standard bits and pieces (6 CD rafdio, satellite, a/c and 6 way electric driver's seat... what was wrong with a lever?) it's also got 17 inch wheels, leather bucket seats, abs, traction control, a 'satin' interior upgrade and all manner of bells and whistles.
It's lossening up nicely and threatening to be a bit of a monster. So far I'm averaging about 25mpg US (that's 30mpg UK) which isn't bad when you consider that Ann Arbor is the stop sign capital of teh western world. It's ridiculous. I stop every 50 yards or so. The lights too suck - they're less synchronized than Stephen Hawkin during a power outage and tend to stay on red longer than Garth Gates did on the letter 'T' (was he the stutterer?)
But we're having fun. And ultimately that's what it's all about. That and hauling shopping - which it does in the enormous truck (boot).
And that, fact fans, is the last car post I'll be making. Unless something happens.
So it's a 2008 Ford Mustang coupe premium with a 4.0l V6 engine and a manual transmission (automatics ae for grannies and people who get whipped cream in their hot chocolate)
As well as all of the standard bits and pieces (6 CD rafdio, satellite, a/c and 6 way electric driver's seat... what was wrong with a lever?) it's also got 17 inch wheels, leather bucket seats, abs, traction control, a 'satin' interior upgrade and all manner of bells and whistles.
It's lossening up nicely and threatening to be a bit of a monster. So far I'm averaging about 25mpg US (that's 30mpg UK) which isn't bad when you consider that Ann Arbor is the stop sign capital of teh western world. It's ridiculous. I stop every 50 yards or so. The lights too suck - they're less synchronized than Stephen Hawkin during a power outage and tend to stay on red longer than Garth Gates did on the letter 'T' (was he the stutterer?)
But we're having fun. And ultimately that's what it's all about. That and hauling shopping - which it does in the enormous truck (boot).
And that, fact fans, is the last car post I'll be making. Unless something happens.
Monday, December 24, 2007
What does one do in Ann Arbor at Xmas?
Well it seems that most people leave Ann Arbor - returning to the busoms of their families to relax, rechange and generally mooch for a bit. That's a university town.
For the 'townies' - those people proud of being "here today, here tomorrow" Xmas is all about finding shelter from the cold. The gym is fit to bursting, Wholefoods is alive to the sound of contented grazing and every house has a warm orange glow eminating from what's probably a smokeless tofu log fire.
So what if the TV is crap (Elmo and Duel aside)? So what if it's so cold that the tennis balls at the dog run have frozen into the icepack and are harder to remove than excalibre? So what if there's nothing open and every event sold out some time back in the late 1990s?
It's Christmas, it's cold, there's snow on the ground, men shuffling awkwardly around lingerie shops, women praying that he doesn't bottle it again and buy her another iron and children searching every nook and cranny of the house. Ho. Ho. And, yes, Ho!
For the 'townies' - those people proud of being "here today, here tomorrow" Xmas is all about finding shelter from the cold. The gym is fit to bursting, Wholefoods is alive to the sound of contented grazing and every house has a warm orange glow eminating from what's probably a smokeless tofu log fire.
So what if the TV is crap (Elmo and Duel aside)? So what if it's so cold that the tennis balls at the dog run have frozen into the icepack and are harder to remove than excalibre? So what if there's nothing open and every event sold out some time back in the late 1990s?
It's Christmas, it's cold, there's snow on the ground, men shuffling awkwardly around lingerie shops, women praying that he doesn't bottle it again and buy her another iron and children searching every nook and cranny of the house. Ho. Ho. And, yes, Ho!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Why can't America do Xmas?
A friend told me the other day that in the US Christmas is little more than a prompt to switch the window dressings in the stores to something a little more sparkly. I scoffed. Maybe even give a dismissive snort.
And then I looked at the Holiday TV. There is none. None at all. Just warmed up repeats and 'perennial classics'. It's actually a little depressing.
Tried to get into a 'Holiday Village' too - all last minute and of course sold out (unless you book into a hotel onsite in which case there are tickets galore)
In the end we walked down to see 'Atonement' at a spectacular local cinema, had dinner at a Pacific themed restaurant and headed for bed early.
Spent this morning watching Coronation Street on Canadian TV and mourning my distance from Noel's Xmas Presents. Weird that I only ever feel British around the Xmas TV schedules.
And then I looked at the Holiday TV. There is none. None at all. Just warmed up repeats and 'perennial classics'. It's actually a little depressing.
Tried to get into a 'Holiday Village' too - all last minute and of course sold out (unless you book into a hotel onsite in which case there are tickets galore)
In the end we walked down to see 'Atonement' at a spectacular local cinema, had dinner at a Pacific themed restaurant and headed for bed early.
Spent this morning watching Coronation Street on Canadian TV and mourning my distance from Noel's Xmas Presents. Weird that I only ever feel British around the Xmas TV schedules.
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