Sunday 19 October 2014

Week Forty-Five: Curry Favours

Do you know what is delicious? Thai Green Curry. Do you know when it is even better? When I don't have to make it. Do you know what makes it better still? When it is not out of a cardboard box. These are the things that keep a person sane. Good food made with love by someone else. Which in my case is always a good thing. I've heard they are thinking of outlawing the phenomenon of me cooking. Because while I beg to differ, I've been informed that nuking things is not cooking.

Day 1 (309): 13th of October
Somehow this being a short week (again) makes things more stressful. For example, finding oneself at work on a day off, attempting to do something useful to get ahead of things, is enough to make one wonder how Life went so wrong. Probably just me - after all, I was that girl as a kid. You know, the one who did all her homework, read lots of non-assigned books for fun, and lived for extra credit. Being the grown-up (sic) who feels compelled to go in on a free Monday for several hours to help people sort out something she knew would confuse them, is just the way these Things end up. Damn them. The Things. Can't I just spend the day on the sofa re-watching Gilmore Girls or The Blacklist? Or get someone else to do Things? Oh, wait. I'm much too stubborn to not do Things myself.

Looking down from the roof where I took the above photo.

Day 2 (310): 14th of October
Another Tuesday pretending to be a Monday. Oh, and Naples didn't get the message that it is OCTOBER. We had nice and cool(ish) all summer. Last year I broke down and turned on the A/C one night when it was just too painfully hot to sleep. This year hasn't come close. But now that we are in what ought to be the cool down (and too soggy) start to fall and winter, the heat has to turn on. Way to be late to the party. First, this happened.

Then, this happened. Whatever might happen next?

Looks like we won't find out. Here is a flower.

Day 3 (311): 15th of October
You know what is nice? Hot tea with milk in the morning. Even better if it comes with Hobnobs (or the generic equivalent, they are really almost as good, flavour-wise). Better still if I don't forget it by the kettle so it steeps for half an hour and then gets cold. Smoky hazy day today. Every word in that ended in "y." Hmmm. Webby yellow flower weed. Those words all had "w" in them.

My focus on this one was all over the place. But the light was neat.

Day 4 (312): 16th of October
Have I mentioned I hate Thursdays? If not, I hate Thursdays. This one had dental evil, earthquake drills, increased force protection measures, multiple meetings, homework, and late night airplane travel. Actually, that last bit was rather nice. Mostly because it took me First Class British Airways the hell out of Naples. Buh Bye.

And hello to my cheap and cheerful (but not dodgy) little hotel "room." Vague resemblances to Depression-era lodger spaces are totally accurate. But it's nice enough and close to where I need to be.

Day 5 (313): 17th of October
Traipsing about London is grand. Busy, as it is rather a large city (in case that comes as a surprise). Talking to artists is usually grand, except when they are snobby, or the not-listeny kind of people. Then it is rather less grand. But Chinatown is fun. Bad place to go when one is hungry and has eaten nothing but a sausage roll all day.

OK. That one was silly. This is better. So is finishing the day with lovely family who are splendidly kind and fun to be around (and feed me beer and curry). Really don't know how my cousin does it. She really is Super Mum. Anyone who can raise three young humans and keep all their myriad lives in order truly is a hero. Why do you think I don't do it?

Day 6 (314): 18th of October
So many walks of shame. But not really, I guess, as there seemed no shame in any of it. I felt bad at making my poor cousin-in-law (is that a thing?) get up at ungodly hours to take me back to the train station after I drank all the family beer, ate all their food, crashed in the guest room, and probably filled the children's' heads with horribly corrupt American cheeky inappropriate something. They are so nice. Wish I could see them more often. But my walk / train / tube of shame yielded a great morning shot over the Thames. Wait, did I just say tube of shame? That sounds rather scandalous...

This one came out a bit nicer (the light worked a bit too hard in the first shot).

And a day spent amongst other shame(less) walkers, many of whom were dressed as any number of things, characters, and allsorts (not the gross licorice sweets), yielded a lovely time. Got to meet and chat with the chap who played Boba Fett, and had another nice chat with the guy who was inside Darth Vader. Oh, and to complete the Star Wars w/end, got my photo with Carrie Fisher, and met her brilliant dog. And then I---Look! Pretty! I want one!

This place was so civilised they even had a full bar with relatively not insanely expensive drinks prices (all relative to the level of need, you see). So the day started with tea and sausage rolls, middled with pints of Carlsberg (only one of which I bought myself), and ended with some insane curry lentil bacon soup thing I wanted to marry and live in forever. Here is a spider. It is the size of my horse thumb and on the biggest web I've ever seen, just outside my hotel room door. So cool.

Day 7 (315): 19th of October
Another day, another round at the NerdFest. Met another fellow who played the Doctor (Colin Baker this time). Such a kind gent. We chatted about all sorts of things. He's another person fascinated with Idaho (only as he's not ever been, but who has, really). So nice to just have a nice chat with a genuinely nice person. Also a treat is the gal who played the sister in Jurassic Park. She's an artist now (check her out here) and does really, really great portraits.

Same thing in Black & White. Leave off. I have homework to do.

What else has this to do with curry? Or with favours? Not sure. Two days involved curry. All days should involve curry. On the fence about favours. Sometimes they are good, and sometimes not. Favourite things are good, though. As are party favours. And being in someone's favour. What do I know. I'm just here. 

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