Notes from England - Observations

Hiya folks,

There are many catalysts in life which make one notice things they never have before; things that a person may go through life being ignorant of. Sometimes these things are profound, life-affecting or life-altering things...sometimes (and in my opinion, more often than not) they are simplistic in nature.

Meeting Helen, getting married, and moving overseas has been a catalyst for my taking notice of lots of things. For instance, over the last several years, I've taken a greater interest in politics. I've been legally able to vote in local, state, and national votes for nearly eight years, yet I've never done so. I've never voted for a President, not so much as voted for whether or not to pay for road repairs...nothing. Yet here I am trying my best to follow the 2008 Presidential candidates as closely as possible, with every intention of casting my vote come November.

"But Jer!", I hear you ask, "You live in England now! so why trouble yourself with US national elections?" While I recognise the irony in only becoming interested in American politics shortly before leaving the US, it is also probable that my interest stems from the very reason I left the US to begin with! In meeting my beautiful wife, I became acutely aware of the world outside the vast (very vast!...did you know that Michigan is larger than the whole of the UK?) borders of the United States, and the effect that the actions of such a superpower have on that world. The current administration has made it all the easier to want to see a change and to help instigate and bring about that change.

Enter yesterday's Iowa primaries. I couldn't be more pleased that not only did Hillary not take the lead, but she didn't even come second to my man Obama - she came an embarrassing third! Don't get me wrong - I'm aware that the Iowa caucuses mean little when it comes down to the actual election. Bill Clinton didn't win Iowa...only got something like 3% of the vote...and he won the White House. Still, first impressions are important, and I think Obama made a helluva first impression.

That having been said, from the Republican side, I'm very glad to see Giuliani doing so poorly, and wish that Paul had done better. But the beat goes on.

Moving onto something a bit lighter, I've been reminded of how much I used to love reading! I was reading books before Kindergarten (3 years old-ish)...before my brother and sister could who are both older than I am. That's not to imply I was smarter, only to point out my love of reading even from an early age. I can recall sitting in class in Kindergarten and the teacher having me read a story to the class so she could get some 'teacher bits' done. Lord knows what she was actually doing. Mrs Koyle may have been marking papers (doubtful, as children that young rarely have many papers which need marking) or taking a nap or possibly catching a soap and a cigarette - the point is, I had the power of the class in my hand! I even got to choose who got to go to the cloak room to get ready to go home! Ooh, you've not felt power until you've 40 eyes on you and 15 hands raise into the air, finger tips stretching...begging to be noticed!

Stephanie, you can go because you shared your cookies with me. Andrew, you have to wait because you stole the red car from the toy chest when I wanted it and everybody knows it's the best. Muahahahaha!

Sorry...back on point...I love reading. Always have. But somewhere along the way...I think it was approximately around the same time that the original Playstation was released...I forgot about books. And I did little reading...apart from the odd Sherlock Holmes or Lord of the Rings installment...for many years, unless it was required for school (Miss P, thanks for Huckleberry Finn - still one of the best I've ever read). Even then I often slacked (Miss P, I hated The Scarlet Letter...barely read a chapter. And I never cracked the cover of As I Lay Dying).

But since meeting my wife, who gives Jess a run for her money as the biggest bookworm I've ever met, I've come to become reacquainted with the bibliophile side of my life. I don't read as fast as some (the little Mrs can read six books in the time I read two and I'm no slouch...but she's...a bit...inhuman...in a cute way!...when it comes to devouring a book) but just as fast or faster than many...and I can't finish a book without having another one ready to go (and that's if I haven't started multiple books at once, as is my current predicament).

My latest read, Northern Lights (aka The Golden Compass in the US), was a great read. It was the type of book I didn't want to put down because it always had something interesting, if often predictable, within a page or two. That having been said, some of the reviews about are, in my opinion, ridiculous. Comparing it to the depth of The Lord of the Rings is ludicrous. I know I'm biased...the tat on my leg tells me that. You don't have to remind me. But it simply isn't as good. Nor is The Subtle Knife, the second book in the series, which I'm now reading. It smacks of a hurried authorisation...it feels rushed. And so far, it's not nearly as dark as NL, which was part of the appeal, if you ask me. (Why anyone would let their young kids read His Dark Materials is beyond me. Freaks.)

I've discovered chutney. Or rather, it has been discovered to me. (?) Ooooh...yummy, yummy, chutney. There are, I'm told, chutneys (chutnies?) to be had Stateside. But let me explain...whilst you might find the odd jar of some random apple chutney at your local winery or specialty world foods shop, chutney is nearly a way of life over here. You find them at every supermarket in existence, nearly every garden centre, and elsewhere besides. And, seemingly, any type of fruit, vegetable or root you can think of can be (or more likely has been) made into a chutney of some variety.

Apart from the standard apple, you can find such intriguing-sounding flavours as 'apricot', 'vinegar and sun-dried tomato', 'caramelised onion', 'mango', 'red pepper', 'spicy mango & ginger', and even the very daring, if a bit boastful, 'caramelised shallot chutney with red wine & cracked black pepper'.

My in-laws bought me a wee jar (about the size of a jar of baby food. Oh God, it begins...I'm comparing things to baby products!) of "sweet apple chutney" for Christmas. I've never really had chutney...save perhaps a small sampling of something-or-other my wife's father let me try last year...so this was an experiment of flavour. And wow. You've not tasted yummy until you've painted a cracker (preferably wheat or wholegrain) with a bit of butter and apple chutney, followed by a slice of applewood smoked cheddar (and possibly a bit of gammon if you're feeling overly indulgent). 'Nuff said. I shall be exploring what the world of chutney has to offer the taste buds. If you're an American reader, won't you join me?

I love curry. You can find Indian food where I come from in the US, but it's less common. When it comes to Asian cuisine, the US is very much dominated by Chinese. Don't get me wrong, I like a good egg roll and a sesame chicken as much as the next guy. But apart from one or two rather cowardly attempts in Kalamazoo (I hadn't built up the courage to try anything overly daring on the menu) I've really only just started trying Indian since moving. I've still not tried many. A tikka masala or two, the occasional korma, and perhaps an overly ambitious vindaloo...but I love it. You can't beat a good bahji, pakora, or samosa along with some naan bread and a spicy (yet mild enough to leave your tongue in-tact) and creamy sauce with some beef or chicken (or lamb...yum!...also not an American staple) and pilau rice. I think I'd pick it over pizza at the moment, though that may be down to growing up on the Italian-American favourite for 20-odd years and enjoying the novelty of something different.

I've discovered that it's okay to be a kid once in awhile when choosing entertainment. Books that are labeled for 'young adults' can often make you go 'this is so creepy I can't imagine what the hell the marketing director was thinking when they chose their target audience' (read His Dark Materials or some of the later Harry Potter books), yet even younger children's books (Roverandom and Letters from Father Christmas spring to mind) are so charming you'll find yourself remiss if you've read them and don't actually have them in your collection.

You can also realise it's still fun to sit and giggle at Santa Claus: The Movie starring Dudley Moore (particularly when Patch's sleigh blows up and makes the exact same noise as Pac-Man on the Atari 2600) or The Muppet Christmas Carol with Sir Michael Caine. You can still be charmed by Chip n' Dale - you can go to Disneyland Paris and sit with Goofy. You can hug him, and your wife will take your picture...and she won't even roll her eyes at you! (okay...she will...but only a little) You're going to go through this life once. Most of us know that we were happiest when we were innocent and naive as children. Now that we're adults, we know we have responsibilities, but it doesn't mean you have to loose all the magic of your childhood either. Once your dead, who the hell is going to care if you had four dozen Disney movies in your DVD collection and only three dozen Sci-Fi thrillers?

That having been said, I never got 'round to my Thanksgiving post of 'what I'm thankful for'. So I'll sum it up quickly - I'm thankful for my wife, and overall, for my life. Sure, there's a few speed bumps and road blocks on my path making things difficult at times...but really, I've got it pretty damned good and I've really got nothing to complain about.

So I'll finish with my New Year's resolutions, in no particular order:

I want to enjoy my wife even more
I want to relax even more
I want to nurture my inner-child even more
I want to read more
I want to grumble less
I want to take more long steamy baths
I want to discover more

'Till next time, boys and girls...you can all go to the cloak room. Get your crap and get the hell outta here.

~Jer