Thursday, August 26, 2010

Back to Everything



Next week I'll officially be back to my old (boring) life. I start my second year of my graduate program and I get back to a better work schedule. I came to the conclusion that work really does slowly suck the life out of you if you're not doing something that is personally fulfilled and stimulating especially if you're not given time off to do the things that keep you sane. When I worked at an animal hospital there were three days that it wasn't open: Christmas, Thanksgiving and the 4th of July. Other than that you get 10 days out of the entire year to unwind and explore the things that really make you happy. After coming back from a 2 week vacation in England (where Brian had to use all of his vacation days) I realized how people back in the states have really lost the plot when it comes to holidays, whether it be and employers are legally obligated to provide workers with 4 weeks paid vacation; that's not even mentioning the time allotted for workers in mainland Europe. SIX WEEKS! Here in America that would just be called irresponsible or being a teacher, but I really don't think it's fair that we're given such a small amount of time to just chill after busting our asses all year to be the most productive nation on the planet. Even when I go on vacation I feel guilty when I just sit around and do nothing, like I'm wasting my time relaxing when I could be going nonstop to see as much as possible! I think everyone needs to take a chill pill and I know we'd all be better for it since stress just turns people into horrible monster people. Well that's my rant on vacation. What do you guys think of the state of relaxation we have here in the states? Do you think it's sufficient or should we be given a bit more time to have some fun outside of the workplace.

I'm a bad blogger, I took no pictures of the food I ate in England, but in my defense, I was VERY hungry whenever I ate and we sort of ate at places and times when I wouldn't have my camera. When on speaks of English food, you can almost hear the groans and "ewws" just at its mention. Having grown up with English food I'm not afraid to say that I like it...a lot. I grew up having Sunday roasts, fish and chips, cornish pasties, roasted chicken flavored potato chips and wine gums. There are some things about English food that are gross. Number 1: black pudding, which I tried for the first time ever this past holiday. Honestly, it just tasted like sausage, but I was just grossed out by the concept of congealed blood and fat. Number 2: boiling everything within an inch of its life which is a common practice over there, but to be fair we do it a lot here in the states. English people eat a lot of the same things that we do, just with more meat and brown sauce (kinda like steak sauce). And then there is the indian food, which is the best indian food I've ever had. And NO ONE can say that fish and chips is gross, unless you really have a hatred for fish. Brian makes comments about how disgusting fish is every time I make it at home but he will practically inhale a large portion of fish and chips. Why? BECAUSE IT'S EFFING DELICIOUS. The English love chocolate and tea and no trip to anywhere, whether it be 30 degrees or 100 degrees would be complete without an ice cream. How bad can that be?

Since coming home I've missed the little traditions and idiosyncrasies of the UK. At home there isn't tea time where everyone just takes a minute to enjoy a cup of tea and a digestive biscuit. There are no pubs where you can go for a drink, a meal or just to talk with friends. My other qualm is that there is no Bulmers cider, which should be illegal. Cider in the uk is more popular than beer in some place and for good reason, it's awesome! Brands like woodchuck and woodpecker sold here in the states are also good, but hands down the best cider in the world is Bulmers and I'll take that to my grave. Magners which is produced by the Irish arm of Bulmers is available in the US but it just tastes different which we found out after finding a 6 pack at our local british store. This is a pity but what can you do? I did find some mead at Bamburgh castle though and have yet to try it. It's so pretty and the bottle is so cool I'll probably keep it as a ghetto vase once we drink it.

I did miss the assortment of fruits in veggies I have in my "home diet" while in the UK. It would have been fine if I was doing the shopping and the cooking, but after a while you miss the foods you eat regularly at home. Since coming home Brian and I have been practically vegetarian with the except of a chicken curry or taco here and there. Curries are great because you can put in as many veggies as you want to and once you add the seasonings it's ALWAYS delicious, it's practically idiot proof. I made a pretty good one the other night and it turned out pretty sweet.

As for now, I don't have much on my plate since I start school. Brian and I are going to go backpacking labor day weekend so we'll see how that goes foodwise. I've always wanted to go backpacking as I love to be outside (unless its windy) and it's a good excuse to get some exercise that won't feel like a boring workout. We did some hiking in England and hiked Hadrian's Wall for 7 miles which was hard and amazing at the same time. I don't know where our travels will take us next summer, but I hope we do some more small trips while schools in so we can just get away from the stress for a little while. That is all for now, until next time have good eats!

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