Bookin' it Baby!

I'm a huge fan of Kathy Griffin and have been since her Bravo TV show started. I've seen her comedy specials and even got to see her in person (thanks Rich!) 2 years ago. I recently started following her on Twitter. So I was thrilled when she published this book and couldn't wait to get it (and in fact purchased it before Santa could send it to me for Christmas, so Santa had to read it herself!) I got the audio book version which, if you really like Kathy, is the ONLY way to go. Why? Because she "reads" her book in the best way, it's like you're just sitting with her and she's telling anecdotes. It's so natural and so her. Love it! She doesn't hold back on anyone or herself. She shows heart too. And yes, it's LOL funny but she also shares honestly about painful things too, including her marriage and divorce to Matt, the compulsive eater, compulsive liar (and something compulsive that's yet unnamed, I mean, where's that $70K Matt!?) to whom she talks about quite fairly and well-balanced. The worst part of the book? When it ended.

Wishful Drinking attracted me because I like Carrie Fisher but I loved the book cover! Cracks me up every time I see it. It was kind of an odd read because it challenged my opinions on things I don't know much about, like shock-therapy as a treatment for severe depression and the loss of memories. I had no idea before reading it that she had done that, so it took be aback a bit at first. I enjoyed her self-deprecating humor and her candor. Love that kind of honesty. It didn't have a lot of meat to it, so I wouldn't suggest you run out and buy it, but you could check it out from the library. I did, however, also decide to follow her on Twitter as a result and enjoy her blog.

Of the four books I'm writing about today, this was the biggest surprise and delight. Yes, I'd heard the headlines of the "big" things the book Game Change exposes, but this book offers so much more! I'm not a politico; as a member Joe Public I feel quite numb and apathetic about politics and definitely politicians. But this...this was  different. This is an insider's view of Obama, the Clintons, McCain, Palin of the party nominations and presidential campaigns. WOW. It was such a page turner. I appreciated the authors' note at the beginning on how they approached this project, the timing, the number of people they interviewed and it's written as a real political drama. It also offers a deep look into what makes (or at least made) the candidates tick. I also was struck by how even and balanced it seemed to be. I didn't get the impression that any one of the candidates was actually a secret favorite of the authors. I've already bought it for someone's birthday (another American) because she will, I hope, enjoy it as much. I highly recommend it.


I am just finishing this mammoth book. Another case of the audio book possibly being the best way (for someone like me) to read it. Why? The author seamlessly weaves the stories of those who dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Urikama (better known as the bigger area of Nagasaki) and at least one or two dozen survivors' experiences. But keeping in mind all but one of the survivors written about included are Japanese (if you exclude those in the US planes who dropped and monitored the bombs), their names are one thing to get used to and keep track of. And the detailed, graphic and incredible descriptions (especially in the first chapter) of the physics of the fission in an atomic bomb, broken down into nanoseconds of what happens in the atmosphere, air and organic materials, how the flash comes, the heat waves, the shock waves (and the intense energy of those), shock cocoons, gamma rays...it was a lot to hear and take in and for me, might've been too hard to comprehend if reading it. Kind of the way Lord of the Rings Trilogy can be laborious.  It is horrific, I won't lie, but also fascinating (like the way forensics in crime solving is gruesome yet captivating). I was also struck by how the slightest little moments of "chance" meant the difference between life and death. For example, there is a story of two friends, little boys playing outside before school began. They were playing in front of a low brick/cement fence. Because one little boy dropped a coin, I think it was, he bent down to pick it up and therefore for a brief moment was shadowed by the short wall. Only his shoulder was exposed. At that exact moment that the flash of the bomb occurred, the little boy next to him ceased to be and was carbonized in a flash. However, the boy who had bent down at that exact moment survived the initial flash with burns only on his shoulder. Loads of little examples like that. It doesn't end happily, the heat wave and radiation meant his life was very short, but there were some miraculous survivors, including one man who survived Hiroshima only to rush home to wife and children in Nagasaki and survive that blast (and lived a long life, though his children suffered with leukemia). While it's not a major theme, the indoctrination of the Japanese of honor in death, fight to the end etc, is touched upon and one can't help but wonder if the dropping of the bombs did prevent an extremely brutal and extracted war in Japan itself. I don't have an opinion on that, who I am to have one? I wasn't there and I'm not a historian, but it did occur to me as I read it. And so attached to Dr. Akizuki and Dr. Nagai, as well as Tomiko Yamaguchi (the double-bomb survivor) I became, I googled them to find out more. NPR did a 30 minute peace on the book, which I recently listed to, on Talk of the Nation. If you want to listen to it, click here. Not sure if it does it justice, as I listened to it after reading the book. New phrases like "fire worms" "ant people" and "flash print" as well as the hope you are wearing white clothing if in the vicinity of the heat rays of an atomic bomb are forever etched into my brain. No, not light reading but still excellent and worthwhile reading.

The Birth of a NEW Movie Club?

Once upon a time, three friends and I had a "movie" club. I was living in Phoenix and the three of us (Eric, August and Marti) would go to the movies every weekend, usually Saturday matinees though we were flexible as sometimes we did it on Sundays. I distinctly remember seeing The Mummy (loved it), Tomb Raider (hated it) and loads of other movies. It was just cool knowing every weekend we could see whatever movie was opening, seeing it at 11am or so meant we still had the rest of the weekend to do our other tasks/errands.

I sort of recreated that up in Manchester, with a larger circle of friends and we'd see movies on Saturday evenings most of the time. But since moving back down south I haven't been to the movies once, until today! My friend Sarah and I finally met after having to reschedule after I was ill a few weeks ago, our plan to see Sherlock Holmes in Bournemouth (click on the movie poster if you want to see the trailer). I enjoyed it so much that I may see if I can start my third movie club (membership guidelines apply) but it would be on Sundays, if I were to do it.

We were seeing it at the Odeon cinema in Bournemouth where 15 years ago or more I went to more than a few movies during my "first life" here. And I can report they've done nothing to remodel or freshen the decor since that time. And the seat cushions were definitely no better. Not so great. But as the trailers started, I whispered to Sarah that we pick our favorite trailer and go see that movie next. Before going onto Sherlock Holmes, here were the previews (click on their names to view the trailers if you are curious):

The A-Team - I giggled a few times during the trailer but Liam Neeson as Murdoch? REALLY? I had trouble getting past his bad American accent (and bad hair and make up come to think of it) in Taken, so he may be a deal-breaker for me.
Prince of Persia - Jake Gyllenhaal with long hair. Yuck. Action looked pretty awesome. Unless totally panned by critics, this might be my first choice of the list to see.
Iron Man 2 - Mickey Rourke looks amazing as the bad guy. But I wasn't hugely impressed with the first film so I'm on the fence on the sequel.
Robin Hood - I swear, if you had just shown me the video without the audio, I'd have said I was watching scenes from Gladiator. Except more trees. But at least I know Gladiator was awesome and it's the same director as well, so maybe it'll be good? This was Sarah's choice to see next.
Clash of the Titans - Trailer showed no dialogue, no story, only huge action scenes which makes me think the movie is just kinda crappy.

Sherlock Holmes, according to Rotten Tomatoes has a 69% on the Tomatometer. I'd heard it had good action, fun performances, was a bit spastic and there was that supposed homo-erotic subtext between Holmes and Watson. And I suppose I can now think about the movie and identify all of those things, but during the film I was just in pure enjoyment. If you've ever watched The Mentalist, Monk or Psych, you'll enjoy how Holmes solves all the mysteries (small and large). Set in 19th century London, I was struck by how vividly the city was portrayed. It seemed so real, it felt as if you were right there in the boom of the industrial revolution and Victorian era. However, at the end of the movie when they're in the sewers of the Houses of Parliament to suddenly pop up at Tower Bridge (under construction), I turned to Sarah and said, "ummm, they're not exactly next to each other in real life!" to which she giggled and agreed. You have to get on the tube, take a bus or walk over a good 90 minutes to get from one to the other!

I will also tell you the only thing that niggled at me is how the villain struck me as Stanley Tucci but yet his voice was different. And this villain was kind of sexy, in a Imotep-in-The-Mummy-sexy. I could've sworn it was him and I was distracted on occasion thinking "but how did they alter his voice?" It wasn't until credits rolled that I read it wasn't Stanley Tucci at all, but it was Mark Strong. I was way off! I remember being as adamant that the actor who played Mouse in The Matrix was a kid I had gone to elementary school with in Canada named Keiran. And I made my boyfriend wait until every credit had rolled...and alas, it wasn't him...unless he changed his name....but the likelihood is that I am just not as good at recognizing actors as I would like to think.
Overall, I definitely recommend it and would suggest you see it while in theaters or on a big TV at home once it's on DVD. Good times!

A big notch in my (seat) belt!

Whilst it's not a "WOOHOO" with the enthusiasm I would give an awesome job offer, my "yippee" is nonetheless powerful, if compact. To actually pass my UK driving test...what an achievement!

Passing the US driving test, on the other hand, was a breeze, a dawdle, hardly worth remembering...or perhaps there was just so little expected of me as a student driver, I can't recall much of it. I was 16 and had done a "Driver's Education" course in high school which meant an actual driving test was not required, not even the drive-in-and-out-of-orange-cones kind! I did have a "written" test which totaled...wait for it...TEN multiple choice questions. My biggest fear around getting my US license is what would the photo look like on it? I mean, I was 16, so vanity was as prevalent as bad skin and big bangs (or a big "fringe" for UK readers). And it is on this hard-won license that I drove during my "first life" in the UK. I believed, as was commonly known (but never verified by me), that every time you entered the UK an invisible 365 day countdown would begin in which I could legally drive on my US license. And since at that time I was going back to the states every year, those 365 days would re-set. Of course, now I know it's not about exiting and entering the country, it's supposed to be that within a year of making the UK your residence, you are expected to get your UK license. And this important fact only became known to me a mere 4 weeks ago, when a friend (and an American to boot) urged me to see about the license situation. Well, not only have I been here over a year, my US license expires on my birthday anyway, making it invalid here end of March. And thus began an intense and rather hurried process of getting my license.

And yes, I am an experienced driver of over 20 years, but the standards here for passing...I mean are these the same standards for being employed by Scotland Yard or something? Crikey! SO HIGH! First stop was passing my written test which was 50 multiple choice and 14 video scenarios where you have to identify the potential hazards as you drive along it. I utilized the CDs my instructor lent me and that was a god-send. I read the highway manual but it was the CDs with the mock test questions and even a Hazard DVD you could practice with. And I passed with flying colors. Then came the "Practice" driving test, which means actually doing it, not that it's a practice, practice test. You follow?

In total I have spent 6 hours (3 x two hour blocks) with Jo, an awesome task-master, uh, I mean instructor, as she corrected me on every single thing I didn't do or did wrong and there are a million! After each lesson I felt demoralized and sure I wouldn't pass within time. This morning, on the morning of the test, she was so generous that she squeezed in 45 minutes with me to just drill me on my "maneuvers". Of the list, the examiner would ask me to do 2-3.What are these maneuvers I speak about you ask? They are:

• Bay parking (parking in a space but doing it in reverse)
• Parallel parking (but not between two cars, behind one and the imaginary car behind you, for liability sake, they don't actually have people park between cars)
• Turn-around in road (aka a 3-point turn)
• Reverse around corner (who ever DOES this? When is this the right maneuver to make, I ask myself?)
• Emergency Stop

These don't sound so bad, I hear you saying. Well just know that in every one of them, there are at least 5 instances of putting the emergency break on, 4 of doing pronounced 360 degree view turns, 3 checking of blind spots and at least 1 "oh shit" (okay, that was just my experience). And you have to do them in a certain order. Like Olympic athletes, there are set routines and you have to do them every time. And to bump a curb, touch a curb, scrape or cast a shadow on a curb is an "automatic fail". So while I am experienced, I have experienced plenty gentle "oh there's the curb" bumps when parallel parking etc.

In addition to this, there are all the ways to get deductions, choosing the wrong lane in a roundabout, not going "Mirror, Signal, Maneuver" (in that order only, people!!) of not checking your rear-view and right side mirror every time you: turn onto a new road, increase speed, decrease speed, see a hazard (need to check to see how your decision can impact others) and probably 10 other times when you have to check the dang mirrors. I ended up feeling rather spastic by just checking every mirror every time (including my compact mirror, maybe that was overkill, but I wanted to be prepared for any instance!) I also learned that I was using my indicator (which is the UK word for "signal") way too much and the legal use is much more limited. Frustratingly, as a "learner" driver, I was not to move my hands from the steering wheel (except changing gears, emergency break, wipers) so when a motorist is letting you go or if you are letting someone go, you can't wave them or flash them. I had to give the biggest smile and hope they could see me. Because I'm British, no matter what I may say, and I was sooooo uncomfortable that I might come across as an impolite driver!

Before you begin your test, the examiner does an eye-sight test and proceeds to ask you two "show me/tell me" questions, all related to operating your vehicle, what's under the hood (bonnet), how to check gauges, how to do basic things in the car and what the tires should be like etc. My instructor gave me a list of the questions they might ask and I memorized them all in preparation. The ones he gave were dead easy so that was a good start.

In the end, my examiner was an older man who was quite a flirt. We just chatted away, he didn't take one note or do one thing except give me the instructions (like, for example, asking me to pull over; the test requires this be done 5 times. WHY?) and asking me loads of questions and I made sure to ask about him. We chatted about his family, America (he's never been), Abby. It was quite pleasant! I had to do a reverse-around-corner which was my biggest worry (I had a hit and miss record in my practice tries) but he seemed satisfied and then the only other one was bay parking (thank goodness for the years of preferring to back into parking spaces). I didn't have one deduction and as soon as he was out of the car I updated Facebook with what I had fiercely been hoping for all morning, "PASSED"!

Next week I will be doing a Speed Awareness Course because even though I JUST got my new license, I have already accumulated 3 speeding tickets since moving here. I've always paid the fines, because that's what is the right thing to do, but I was awfully bummed when the government managed to connect those (on my US license) to my brand new license. I'm used goods, man! Oh well, at least I'll be the teacher's pet in the course, as it's alllll so fresh in my mind!

I'm baaaaaaack

...and where have I been, you ask? I've been on Facebook! And don't get me wrong, any of you who know me know I am still on Facebook...a LOT. But I miss my blogging days and it's kind of strange that when I've had a lot of time to write it, I've just not. Maybe I haven't been sure what to talk about, but I am today reaffirming my commitment to the blog-gods that I will update this regularly and try to be witty, giddy and wise. Or something to that effect! What prompted this return to my roots? I'm sitting at home (and logged into Facebook of course)...my friend Xenia is at her house and we are chatting (by the way, FB chat is a really sucky application, just hiccups and stalls all applications) but anyway, we're each watching Independence Day and chatting about it. I sent her a link to a past blog entry that I thought was apprapo and inspired by the movie. And I realized I used to write all the time; I would have ideas during the day and look forward to putting them in blog form.

So, let's see...holding pattern is still in effect. I'm hoping a shift is coming soon and god knows I'm putting in the effort and really trying! In the meantime, I'm thoroughly enjoying living in Ringwood; I regularly bump into people I know in town and I love my quiet, cozy little house here. But for the right opportunity, I'll absolutely relocate. One thing I've learned during my moves is you can create cozy homes anywhere...as long as the interior lighting isn't too harsh! Nobody likes THAT!

Since my last post where I mentioned a visit from Mom and Shannon, I was lucky enough to have another visit, my pop! He flew in from Vancouver (he should write a blog about that journey from hell!) and stayed with me over Christmas. We did some walking, a bit of sightseeing (he really got to know Salisbury!), lots of eating and chilling out. He was very generous with his time and presents and I am very lucky indeed to have such a loving Dad! I hope that next Christmas I will be visiting the states, hopefully getting to spend a few days in LA with friends there as well as a long visit to family and friends in Phoenix.
















Big upcoming events. Well, I will be looking forward to the Superbowl tomorrow night. Doesn't start until 10:55pm here, but I am staying up late tonight (Saturday) in the hope I can do the same tomorrow. I'm rooting for Peyton and Colts. I tell you, I can smell the testosterone when he's calling out the calls just before the snap! I'm not hugely keen on his accent but his machismo makes up for it! Bummed the Cardinals and Cowboys lost in such spectacular fashion but such is life. Last year Lucie and I stayed up to watch and the Cardinals were sooooo close! So that's on Feb 7 and then one month later to the day, I'll be in Manchester for Dave Matthews Band! I went last summer (also with Lucie, pictured in front of the band, kind of) and saw them in Wolverhampton (near Birmingham). I Facebooked our status throughout! It was so exciting and we were sooooo close. Well, WE weren't so close, but the venue was so...so intimate shall we say...that we were all so close. I hear the venue Manchester is a good one, so looking forward to it. I'll be flying in for the weekend, seeing friends etc., and then going to the concert that Sunday (March 7) with Lucie but also joining us this time will be Jill and Lesley, all soul-sisters from up north. Hopefully I can convert them to being DMB fans!

I also got the chance to see one of my oldest friends from junior high school recently. Mike was working in London so I went up to join him for dinner and isn't it great when conversation just flows, where you have similar ideas but loads of new stories to tell? I love that! It was brilliant.

Then the end of March marks my birthday. Gasp! I've been calling myself "38" for the last few months in the run up trying to force myself to accept this shocking age I shall be turning. ME? 38??? Not possible! I keep waiting to see what is going to happen when I "grow up". No idea what, if any, plans I'll have. Hopefully a dinner out with a few friends.

And a blog post wouldn't be complete without two things: an update on Abby (of course) and my recent reviews of movies/TV:

Abby: she's awesome. I could leave it there but what else can I say...she's still fit and spry and ready to rumble! She loves her country walks (sometimes just with me, sometimes we go with Nancy and all her "charges" we're like a big pack!) She is a creature of routine and I find her hop, skip and jump after I get home in the evening, after dinner, because she knows it's rawhide time! Like MC Hammer, she does her own little dance. I can also tell she's getting old, however, by her huge increase in flatulence as well as groans when she is repositioning herself on the bed, the ol' body creaks I think! I could also call her "MacGyver" because if it's possible, she can use a couple matchsticks and a deflated balloon to somehow get herself high enough to pull dirty dishes off the counter! Of course though, I adore her. She's a joy.

There is one other guilty pleasure I've recently gotten into and it's what we insiders call "DDO", which is Dungeons and Dragons Online. My sister and brother in law like to play it and they were generous enough to give me a subscription and we can meet online at the weekends and play together. I tell people who don't know it, it's like playing The Lord of the Rings! Because we have headsets and microphones we chat while online either about the quests, making jokes, sometimes catching up. What you may not know, unless you've tried it, is that time FLIES when you're on it. And as I learned the hard way, if you're trying to wind down to go to sleep, don't fall into the "I'll just do one or two quests before bedtime" trap, hours pass and it just stimulates you. Shan and Dev are great because they'll play early in the day their time (which is evening my time) in order for us to do it together.

Now, I've not been to the movies forever so can't comment a whole lot on those, but I do watch a fair share of TV:

TV:
Glee - it just makes me happy. I've also converted Nancy and Carolyn and over dinner last night, we laughed a lot about it and how it related to our high school times (especially them as they were in small-town America!)
Survivor - starts again this week, never missed a season (there have been 20!), even after moving here. Thank you iTunes!
Burn Notice - my guilty pleasure (apart from the selection of reality TV I remain dedicated to) and this show just has it all. Quirky humor (love his best friend and his mother) and lots of shit blow ups. And while I hate the heat, I just love this show set in Miami!
The Closer - I really enjoy this ensemble.

Saving Grace - I hear it's been canceled but I really liked this one, thought it was unusual but still had interesting crime-solving.
True Blood and Dexter - my goal is to be patient enough not to pay for and download the latest series when they become available on iTunes because both are successful here and if I can be patient, I will be able to watch them on TV here for free!

As I type, I am watching the British version of So You Think You Can Dance. It's on BBC so no commercials, so those dancers just have to move from thing to thing without a break. They also show the results show an hour after the show airs, none of this milking it out all week like American Idol. There are certainly British shows I'm watching but none that I am a rabid fan over.

So I do love Facebook and the immediacy of feeling connected to my friends and family everywhere. But I will endeavor to keep the blog alive. I do get a kick out reading back on some of my posts...I can be funny sometimes! And I'll leave it there, until next time...