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Yesterday, driving back from the garden centre we saw a guy with bleached blonde hair, driving a BMW convertible. He had a Wales flag on the back of the car, next to an Obama sticker. Oh, and he was wearing a Chelsea shirt.
What is wrong with this picture? In a word; Everything.
Is this a living breathing example of a brain dead sheep. Someone who does what he's told is the fashionable thing to do rather than thinking for himself.
Ok, maybe I'm being a little bit too hard on the fella, especially with the Welsh flag. No one would even suggest you pretend to be Welsh unless you really were born there so I'll let that slide.
As for the BMW. They're nice cars, but they're an obvious choice for someone who wants to drive something that will make people think he has taste. It wasn't a new BMW, in fact it was quite an old model so this would seem to enhance the perception that he didn't choose the car for other, more normal reasons.
Convertibles always seem a bit 'mid-life crisis' to me. He wasn't a young bloke, probably late 30's-40's so maybe he's just hit his a few years earlier than most.
This would also link in with the bleached blonde hair. All the kids are doing it aren't they? Yeah mate, maybe in 1995.
I'm not going to get into a political debate about the pros and cons of Barack Obama but there's no doubting that he was the media's pick for President. By that I mean he was a perfect candidate for the media looking for a story. This leads me to think that our friend was sporting his Obama/Biden sticker to show how in touch he is with current events.
Now last, but certainly not least is the Chelsea shirt. Maybe I could let all of the other things go if they weren't topped off by that blue shrine to the Russians of West London.
The Welsh flag would suggest that he wasn't born in the Chelsea area and when combined with the hair, and the convertible, and the Obama sticker it just screams New Chelsea.
New Chelsea has nothing to do with Chelsea Football Club, the rather irritating, small, one time champions of England (in 1955). New Chelsea is new money. Everything that is bad in the game today and since they bought two consecutive league titles in 2005 and 2006, they've attracted a different type of supporter. For example the young girl in the Far East who luv them long time, and our friend in the BMW.
I hope someone has a word with this guy friend and points out the errors of his ways and maybe makes him realise that he's giving BMW drivers, convertible drivers, fake blondes, the Welsh, Democrats and real Chelsea fans a bad name by mincing down FM529, boiling in a melting pot of all of the above.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Change of plan
My Wife volunteers at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. She's been there all afternoon today so I said that I'd do some work in the garden and plant a few things to cover the spot in the fence where a certain white dog has been attempting to dig through to the neighbours. I was thinking maybe 2 or 3 plants and some soil and mulch to make it look nice.
That was my first mistake, I was thinking. How come whenever I suggest doing a small job around the house to make it look nice my Wife always takes my idea and runs with it? She never wants to settle for the small improvement I suggested and it always turns into a much bigger, and more expensive job.
We were walking around Houston Garden Center and had 3 or 4 plants on the trolley so I hinted we had enough and that we should go. My Wife's response should have warned me what was to come. "Not yet, we have a lot more shopping to do."
Anyway, after loading up two trolleys, 35 bags of soil & mulch and spending over $300 the Expedition got us all home safely, albeit rather slowly.
I unloaded the car while my Wife toasted some bagels and made some tea, so I ventured inside for breakfast. Then a stroke of luck..
Our gardener turned up to cut the grass so we seized the opportunity to let him quote for the work. Now, this included digging a trench along one fence, then digging another in the corner of the garden joining two existing flower beds, and filling with the soil and mulch. This was probably more than I thought I would get done today so when he said he'd do it for $100 we snapped his hand off.
We gave him another $100 to actually plant the things we'd bought and it took two of them 4 hours. Money well spent in my opinion, especially as it meant my day was a lot more relaxing than it had seemed right around the time they showed up.
I did run out to buy another spade so they could both dig and a wheel barrow so they wouldn't have to break their back carrying all the soil and mulch round the back. Each bag weighs 40 pounds and the day was already getting hot so we kept them supplied with bottles of cold water.
Too bad my Wife was still home when the gardener arrived, otherwise I could have been cashing in those brownie points for a long time to come!
That was my first mistake, I was thinking. How come whenever I suggest doing a small job around the house to make it look nice my Wife always takes my idea and runs with it? She never wants to settle for the small improvement I suggested and it always turns into a much bigger, and more expensive job.
We were walking around Houston Garden Center and had 3 or 4 plants on the trolley so I hinted we had enough and that we should go. My Wife's response should have warned me what was to come. "Not yet, we have a lot more shopping to do."
Anyway, after loading up two trolleys, 35 bags of soil & mulch and spending over $300 the Expedition got us all home safely, albeit rather slowly.
I unloaded the car while my Wife toasted some bagels and made some tea, so I ventured inside for breakfast. Then a stroke of luck..
Our gardener turned up to cut the grass so we seized the opportunity to let him quote for the work. Now, this included digging a trench along one fence, then digging another in the corner of the garden joining two existing flower beds, and filling with the soil and mulch. This was probably more than I thought I would get done today so when he said he'd do it for $100 we snapped his hand off.
We gave him another $100 to actually plant the things we'd bought and it took two of them 4 hours. Money well spent in my opinion, especially as it meant my day was a lot more relaxing than it had seemed right around the time they showed up.
I did run out to buy another spade so they could both dig and a wheel barrow so they wouldn't have to break their back carrying all the soil and mulch round the back. Each bag weighs 40 pounds and the day was already getting hot so we kept them supplied with bottles of cold water.
Too bad my Wife was still home when the gardener arrived, otherwise I could have been cashing in those brownie points for a long time to come!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Where's my damn answer?
The following post first appeared on the popular blog 'Where's my damn answer?' earlier this week.
Who’s in DA DAMN house Wednesday - Mancunian Moon
By Guest Blogger March 4, 2009
Introduction from our very own jodycakes:
I’d like to introduce everyone to Andy over at Mancunian Moon . It is nice to ask the men if they dare venture over into WMDA land. He was kind enough to do so, with this poignant post about being a foreigner in this strange place called Houston (pronounced Eww-stun for those of you not living here). You might wonder what the word Mancunian in the blog name suggests? This term refers to anyone who is from Manchester, England. Probably the only reason I know this term is because I’m married to a Liverpudlian, which by the way Andy says is so near, yet so far away (40 miles) ::read rivalry here::! He, like many other people from the UK, is a diehard football fan with an undying support for his team, Manchester United. As you will read, he is a transplant to Texas, living la vida loca with his brand new blushing bride Jennifer and their little furry friends, Boomer & Busby (who is actually named after the World Famous Sir Matt Busby, who managed ManU for several years). Without futher adieu, I present to you Andy…
You can probably tell that I’m not from around here. Texas that is. I was born in Manchester, England at the tale end of the 70’s. That’s not a misspelling, those are the days I always heard about growing up, you know “you’ve never had it so good’, “when I was your age” etc. You get the idea.
So I guess I’m a pint of real ale to compliment the wine (& tequila).
There are lots of things I miss about home that we don’t have in Houston - real fish & chips, good beer, driving lessons, the list could go on (and no, serving beer ice cold to numb the taste buds does not make it good). But I think there’s a danger in concentrating too much on what you don’t have rather than what you do have. This is a great country, and Texas is a great state. I have a good life and I prefer to think about the things I can experience here that I wouldn’t be able to back home.
I definitely think that the way you view things affects how easily you take to new experiences. I’m a long way from home, but pining for the things I miss will only cause me to miss out on a lot of opportunities that are available to me.
I know a lot of people who have moved to Houston from all over the world and it tends to be the older ones who settle easiest. This surprises me, as they have more memories back home, and seemingly have more to leave behind. The problem I think the younger ones have, the ones who have basically grown up here, is they have only romantic memories of the place they left.
I lived in Texas between the ages of 18 and 21. I found it hard to settle that first time because I was thinking about what I’d left behind. I hadn’t had the chance to experience life as an adult where I grew up so I knew I would always feel I was missing something. After six years, I returned to Houston wizened by the cold struggle I’d endured and looking forward to spending my days in the sunshine. I haven’t been back to visit since I left for the second time in. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t need to. My new life always seems to get in the way.
My six years back in England gave me the experiences I craved when I was younger. Experiences I wouldn’t have had staying in Houston and I don’t regret it at all. In fact, now that I’m settled in Houston with a good job, a nice house and a beautiful wife I feel I’m really seeing the benefits of that time served. I also think my kids (when they come) will benefit from my decision, although it is important they learn about their English and Irish heritage.
So it’s not where you’re from that matters, it’s where you’re at, and I don’t mean the city you currently reside in. It’s a state of mind, one open to new experiences and other points of view.
I try and follow my own advice about keeping an open mind so usually I never know what I’m going to blog about until I get to the 5th or 6th paragraph. I just start typing and see where it takes me, so I apologize that this isn’t the funny blog you might’ve been expecting.
Anyway, there’s so much estrogen in here I’m going to leave before my cycle is in danger of synchronizing…but try not to worry too much about your damn answers, sometimes it’s ok to just enjoy the questions.
Peace, if you want it.
Who’s in DA DAMN house Wednesday - Mancunian Moon
By Guest Blogger March 4, 2009
Introduction from our very own jodycakes:
I’d like to introduce everyone to Andy over at Mancunian Moon . It is nice to ask the men if they dare venture over into WMDA land. He was kind enough to do so, with this poignant post about being a foreigner in this strange place called Houston (pronounced Eww-stun for those of you not living here). You might wonder what the word Mancunian in the blog name suggests? This term refers to anyone who is from Manchester, England. Probably the only reason I know this term is because I’m married to a Liverpudlian, which by the way Andy says is so near, yet so far away (40 miles) ::read rivalry here::! He, like many other people from the UK, is a diehard football fan with an undying support for his team, Manchester United. As you will read, he is a transplant to Texas, living la vida loca with his brand new blushing bride Jennifer and their little furry friends, Boomer & Busby (who is actually named after the World Famous Sir Matt Busby, who managed ManU for several years). Without futher adieu, I present to you Andy…
You can probably tell that I’m not from around here. Texas that is. I was born in Manchester, England at the tale end of the 70’s. That’s not a misspelling, those are the days I always heard about growing up, you know “you’ve never had it so good’, “when I was your age” etc. You get the idea.
So I guess I’m a pint of real ale to compliment the wine (& tequila).
There are lots of things I miss about home that we don’t have in Houston - real fish & chips, good beer, driving lessons, the list could go on (and no, serving beer ice cold to numb the taste buds does not make it good). But I think there’s a danger in concentrating too much on what you don’t have rather than what you do have. This is a great country, and Texas is a great state. I have a good life and I prefer to think about the things I can experience here that I wouldn’t be able to back home.
I definitely think that the way you view things affects how easily you take to new experiences. I’m a long way from home, but pining for the things I miss will only cause me to miss out on a lot of opportunities that are available to me.
I know a lot of people who have moved to Houston from all over the world and it tends to be the older ones who settle easiest. This surprises me, as they have more memories back home, and seemingly have more to leave behind. The problem I think the younger ones have, the ones who have basically grown up here, is they have only romantic memories of the place they left.
I lived in Texas between the ages of 18 and 21. I found it hard to settle that first time because I was thinking about what I’d left behind. I hadn’t had the chance to experience life as an adult where I grew up so I knew I would always feel I was missing something. After six years, I returned to Houston wizened by the cold struggle I’d endured and looking forward to spending my days in the sunshine. I haven’t been back to visit since I left for the second time in. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t need to. My new life always seems to get in the way.
My six years back in England gave me the experiences I craved when I was younger. Experiences I wouldn’t have had staying in Houston and I don’t regret it at all. In fact, now that I’m settled in Houston with a good job, a nice house and a beautiful wife I feel I’m really seeing the benefits of that time served. I also think my kids (when they come) will benefit from my decision, although it is important they learn about their English and Irish heritage.
So it’s not where you’re from that matters, it’s where you’re at, and I don’t mean the city you currently reside in. It’s a state of mind, one open to new experiences and other points of view.
I try and follow my own advice about keeping an open mind so usually I never know what I’m going to blog about until I get to the 5th or 6th paragraph. I just start typing and see where it takes me, so I apologize that this isn’t the funny blog you might’ve been expecting.
Anyway, there’s so much estrogen in here I’m going to leave before my cycle is in danger of synchronizing…but try not to worry too much about your damn answers, sometimes it’s ok to just enjoy the questions.
Peace, if you want it.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Doing my bit
You know how I like to do my bit for those less fortunate than myself (honestly!) so I'm delighted to share with you a brand new way of helping out.
Chocolate makers Cadbury's, makers of the excellent Dairy Milk range are to become Fair Trade certified.
Now, those who know me will be aware that I'm quite partial to a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk. There's nothing better before bedtime than a nice cup of tea and dairy milk. They come in all different sizes now from the tiny 'fun' size to the huge 5kg monster bar!
I found that the regular 6 chunk works best. I like to tear the wrapper so that three squares are exposed then I dip those three into my tea, and eat enjoying the slightly melted chocolate. Then wait a few minutes for the tea to cool down a bit and break the three remaining pieces into separate chunks. I then place one chunk in my mouth and have a drink of the tea, then repeat the process for the last two pieces. Perfect!
There's obviously an art to these things so I would hate for someone to just dive in and eat the chocolate willy nilly but each to their own I suppose.
Becoming Fair Trade certified basically means that Cadbury's will pay a guaranteed minimum price to cocoa producers in Ghana, even if the open market price falls below it.
The Fair Trade initiative was set up to secure a better deal for commodity producers in developing countries.
Cadbury's will triple the amount of cocoa sourced from Ghana to 15,000 tonnes during 2009. Ghana currently produce over 600,000 tonnes of cocoa per year.
Cadbury's is the world's largest confectionery manufacturer, founded in 1824 and even comes with the royal seal of approval!
For those of you living in the US, a word of warning. Those Cadbury chocolate bars you see in the stores are mostly poor imitations, manufactured by Hershey's. They don't taste the same as the ones manufactured in Europe so it's worth looking around to make sure you get the right ones.
Even though we're only just into March, Cadbury's Creme Eggs are already on sale and they always pass the taste test!
Now you have no excuse not to do your bit for Fair Trade and eat some chocolate!
Chocolate makers Cadbury's, makers of the excellent Dairy Milk range are to become Fair Trade certified.
Now, those who know me will be aware that I'm quite partial to a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk. There's nothing better before bedtime than a nice cup of tea and dairy milk. They come in all different sizes now from the tiny 'fun' size to the huge 5kg monster bar!
I found that the regular 6 chunk works best. I like to tear the wrapper so that three squares are exposed then I dip those three into my tea, and eat enjoying the slightly melted chocolate. Then wait a few minutes for the tea to cool down a bit and break the three remaining pieces into separate chunks. I then place one chunk in my mouth and have a drink of the tea, then repeat the process for the last two pieces. Perfect!
There's obviously an art to these things so I would hate for someone to just dive in and eat the chocolate willy nilly but each to their own I suppose.
Becoming Fair Trade certified basically means that Cadbury's will pay a guaranteed minimum price to cocoa producers in Ghana, even if the open market price falls below it.
The Fair Trade initiative was set up to secure a better deal for commodity producers in developing countries.
Cadbury's will triple the amount of cocoa sourced from Ghana to 15,000 tonnes during 2009. Ghana currently produce over 600,000 tonnes of cocoa per year.
Cadbury's is the world's largest confectionery manufacturer, founded in 1824 and even comes with the royal seal of approval!
For those of you living in the US, a word of warning. Those Cadbury chocolate bars you see in the stores are mostly poor imitations, manufactured by Hershey's. They don't taste the same as the ones manufactured in Europe so it's worth looking around to make sure you get the right ones.
Even though we're only just into March, Cadbury's Creme Eggs are already on sale and they always pass the taste test!
Now you have no excuse not to do your bit for Fair Trade and eat some chocolate!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Surely he took a wrong turn?
Thanks again to the BBC for bringing this story to our attention.
Now, I was born in Manchester and lived there for most of my life but come on, if you're going to sneak into a country and work illegally, surely there would be a better option? Personally, I'd pick somewhere hot, like Texas maybe (don't worry, I am allowed to be here). Sydney perhaps? Bora Bora??
I would imagine Manchester would be quite a culture shock to a Mexican, especially one stupid enough to leave a good luck card in his luggage! I'm guessing customs have had much harder cases to crack (pun intended)!
To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen a Mexican restaurant in England. An Indian restaurant maybe. You don't get much more English than Indian food. We certainly love our curry but I don't think most people would know a quesadilla from a burrito. It was only today that I found out what a burrito was and there's certainly nothing that appeals to me in the words 'bean burrito' whether I know what it is or not!
Now, I was born in Manchester and lived there for most of my life but come on, if you're going to sneak into a country and work illegally, surely there would be a better option? Personally, I'd pick somewhere hot, like Texas maybe (don't worry, I am allowed to be here). Sydney perhaps? Bora Bora??
I would imagine Manchester would be quite a culture shock to a Mexican, especially one stupid enough to leave a good luck card in his luggage! I'm guessing customs have had much harder cases to crack (pun intended)!
To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen a Mexican restaurant in England. An Indian restaurant maybe. You don't get much more English than Indian food. We certainly love our curry but I don't think most people would know a quesadilla from a burrito. It was only today that I found out what a burrito was and there's certainly nothing that appeals to me in the words 'bean burrito' whether I know what it is or not!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Dangerous Driving
My Wife was born in Dublin, Ireland and occasionally she gets a little homesick so I thought this story from her homeland might help.
Police in Ireland were baffled how the country's worst driver, Prawo Jazdy had managed to evade arrest after so may offences. Mr Jazdy had racked up a large number of motoring offences but managed to avoid detection by giving police a different address each time.
Luckily, one police officer decided to do a little digging and found over 50 different addresses recorded for Prawo Jazdy when he stopped him for motoring offences. On further inspection, it turned out that Prawo Jazdy is in fact Polish for Driving Licence. Officers had wrongly been recording Prawo Jazdy as the offenders name.
A memo was issued throughout the police force in an attempt to avoid the same mistake from happening. Poles are Irelands second largest immigrant group behind Romanians so I'm sure there is plenty of opportunity for a repeat!
I heard so many Irish jokes as a kid but I don't get much chance to air them these days so thanks to the BBC for bringing this story to the world.
Police in Ireland were baffled how the country's worst driver, Prawo Jazdy had managed to evade arrest after so may offences. Mr Jazdy had racked up a large number of motoring offences but managed to avoid detection by giving police a different address each time.
Luckily, one police officer decided to do a little digging and found over 50 different addresses recorded for Prawo Jazdy when he stopped him for motoring offences. On further inspection, it turned out that Prawo Jazdy is in fact Polish for Driving Licence. Officers had wrongly been recording Prawo Jazdy as the offenders name.
A memo was issued throughout the police force in an attempt to avoid the same mistake from happening. Poles are Irelands second largest immigrant group behind Romanians so I'm sure there is plenty of opportunity for a repeat!
I heard so many Irish jokes as a kid but I don't get much chance to air them these days so thanks to the BBC for bringing this story to the world.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
There may be trouble ahead..
I've been married for just over 3 months now and occasionally I get myself in trouble. It's usually not intentional and sometimes it's not even my fault.
For example, two Christmas's ago, my Wife bought me a first aid kit for the car. It was a nice gift that showed she was concerned for my well being when I wasn't by her side so I put it in the car as I was supposed to do.
Fast forward about a year and my Wife cuts her finger on something in the kitchen. The only first aid kit I know the location of is the one in the car so it gets brought into the house and my Wife opens it and finds what she needs and comments on how much is contained in the kit. "This was a great present!" she exclaims excitedly. Followed by "and you've never used it!".
Sorry, what now?
Ok, I could understand that you'd be upset if you bought someone a nice gift and then it was still in the box a year later. However, the lack of use of the gift could surely be excused in the case of a first aid kit?!? Personally, I hope I never have cause to use this particular gift!
At least now I'm prepared. If next year I find a fire extinguisher under the tree I'll be sure to start a little fire somewhere just so I can give it a go.
For example, two Christmas's ago, my Wife bought me a first aid kit for the car. It was a nice gift that showed she was concerned for my well being when I wasn't by her side so I put it in the car as I was supposed to do.
Fast forward about a year and my Wife cuts her finger on something in the kitchen. The only first aid kit I know the location of is the one in the car so it gets brought into the house and my Wife opens it and finds what she needs and comments on how much is contained in the kit. "This was a great present!" she exclaims excitedly. Followed by "and you've never used it!".
Sorry, what now?
Ok, I could understand that you'd be upset if you bought someone a nice gift and then it was still in the box a year later. However, the lack of use of the gift could surely be excused in the case of a first aid kit?!? Personally, I hope I never have cause to use this particular gift!
At least now I'm prepared. If next year I find a fire extinguisher under the tree I'll be sure to start a little fire somewhere just so I can give it a go.
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