Gingerbeer

Oh... and if anyone is interested in seeing/believing who I am... Here is the link to my facebook page. I dont know what kind of time everyone else has, but personally I dont have what it takes to whip up a profile, several years worth of smartass comments and imaginary friends/family all for the benefit of duping a small online community. Note attached photo. https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=652493160 You're welcome. Moving on?

Jeez. . . a girl goes away for a weekend only to find her identity, honesty and integrity have all come in to question! I can only assume this part of the infamous Brit charm Ive heard so much about. Boab--- I only run when chased, so please tell me its a very short distance to run. Adrenalin will only get me so far... Gidget --- I find your concern for my kitties adorable! I dont have a place to stay yet, it is difficult to find a place so far in advance and from overseas. And youre correct, it is expensive to bring them, but Ive flattered myself into believing they will be miserable without me. Thanks for the book suggestions, they have made their way onto my endless list of *to-reads*

Too many! I dont normally read so many books at one time, and I now know why: it drives me crazy! But currently I am reading: Although of Course you end up Becoming Yourself, A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace-- David Lipsky King Leopold's Ghost --- Adam Hoschild Arabian Nights (Richard Burton translation) Tennessee Williams Collected Stories The Plantagenet Chronicles 1154-1485 --- Derek Wilson And every once in a while I pick up James Joyce's Ulysses but I know I need to pay more attention than Im giving it so I drop it for awhile. I like to read Ngugi, DFW, Henry Miller etc. Im looking at my bookshelf, its all very mixed. What about you? I love getting new titles to add to my reading list!

Although I do get the distinct impression Im being urged to go elsewhere ;)

Ah well, Ill survive.

So are there large St. Patrick's Day celebrations this weekend in ED? It is huge here! All major cities have parades, we dye all our cheap American beer green, San Diego carpets its downtown streets in green astro-turf, Chicago dyes its river green, New Orleans... well its just another day to party. And douchebags everywhere pull out the pickup line: "Do you have any Irish in you?" "No" "Would you like some in you?" The general motto is everyone is Irish on St. Pattys day. Im pulling out my kitschy shamrock mardi gras beads now... Caught not earned mind you!

Massive, massive (ungodly) amounts of loans, Gidget. I can work once school starts, just not before. But dont worry, Im a shameless bleeding heart :)) It was never my intention to have pets, and as provisional as they were, I take prodigious care of my furry hot water bottles and future scarf/mitten set. LLLL (sorry there isnt a pound sign on my laptop-- well there probably is but Im not up to finding it right now) I looked at several neighborhoods and ED seemed to be what I was most looking for: lots of green spaces, slightly quirkly, not terribly far from school, relatively affordable, and it seemed a tightly enough knit community that people might actually look you in the eye or say hello when they pass you on the street. That was something I missed living in San Diego-- much different from Iowa. Now if thats not the case Ill be midly disappointed but it wont have me weeping into my pillow at night. Thanks for the translation on septic, I was like what the hell did they just call me!?

I would like to come in May and get settled before school starts, but since Im not allowed to work its not possible. As much as I would love to claim to be independently wealthy, alas I am not. Its not really a problem per se, it just doesnt coincide with my own wishes.:)

I hope everyone understands I fully intend to keep asking ridiculous questions until I move. I assume responses will die out long before then. If only I could move sooner... you people and your damn immigration laws! ;)

I was once called a magical harpy, so maybe combined with a daywalker, I actually AM mythical. Does ED have any good townie bars? I assume they exist but under some other name... Here a townie bar is where the locals, mostly old men, many alcoholics, spend their days. They are mostly dim and shabby (the bar, not the people... well, maybe it applies to both), but have a good jukebox and sometimes a pool table, and always good drink specials.

Michael Pemulis is a character in the book Infinite Jest. I would just like to clarify that despite my name, I am not in fact a ginger. Technically speaking Im a daywalker thank you very much. I never knew London had such a giant fox population (this makes me wonder if I should continue wearing my "Forever a FOX (lcfc) t shirt). In San Diego cats had to avoid coyotes and you would just pray they didnt drag an opossum inside. This should prove interesting.

Yeah yeah yeah Im here.... remember Im 7 hours behind you! Im way to big to fit in that basket. Besides, who would push me? I was actually wondering, and I do know this is weird, but would it be considered TOO weird to take cats to a park? I have them trained on harnesses/leashes, they need a good romp like the rest of us every once in awhile. Michael-- everytime I see your name I think of Michael Pemulis. You dont wear a yachting hat by any chance do you?

No, not Texas thank goodness. Im from the midwest, which compared to Texas means Im smarter, more liberal and less defiant over nothing. Except bacon. Wasnt it Kermit the Frog who sang "Napkin, plate, knife and fork is the only way that I'll touch pork..."?

I have to take exception with your assessment of US bacon (of all things!). Only because I grew up in Iowa, where cows and hogs run rampant, and are as delicious as they look. At least they were the last time I eyeballed a hog thoroughly.

Admittedly, I have never had tea that didnt come from a teabag. And on the rare occasion that I make a jar of suntea, it does indeed include 12 bags of lipton. I guess Im going to get schooled in tea when I get there! Should we be talking about teabagging here? ;)

ok, so what is the massive appeal then? Is it the caffeine? The comfort? Just having something to do with your hands?

I do have some Irish roots, but more so Welsh and German. When it comes to Americans, we are all mutts. :)

Nette-- youre right I do look a little bonkers in the pic! :) I figured my look of slacked-jawed indecision as I pondered "Do I look at the computer screen or the camera?" was as good as any. However, I am making an attempt to work my way back to coolness by posting one of me in a ninja bunny hat. Thats ninja bunny, not terrorist! :D Michael--- if Americans are shiny, it is only due to our obsession with tanning, dental implants and plastic surgery. It makes our skin so tight we reflect, causing glorious beams of light to eminate wherever we go. ibilly--- its no wonder I didnt know who the Jets were. Long ago I blocked out all knowledge of West Side Story, as it ranks (in my mind at least) only below Oklahoma! as one of the worst musicals ever made. Now a musical such as 7 Brides for 7 Brothers I can get behind: I have to consider it a success that producers were able to find that many gay men in Hollywood willing to dye their hair bright red. Those boys dont like to f*** around with their dos. (Can I swear here?) Another question--- Are the stereotypes of the English constantly swilling tea true? To go by depictions in movies etc. you people drink tea like its some kind of missing lifeblood. Can anyone really drink that much tea?

What are the Jets?

oh. my. god. I laughed so hard at that video I actually snorted!

I think Ill have to stick with Gingerbeer... thats alright, Ive lived in Boys Town in SD for years, so Im used to people thinking Im a lesbian. There are worse things in life. Hah! Good to know about the pants! Living in San Diego, I picked up the word "chonies" for underwear. maybe that will force the issue as to what Im referring to. Although Id like to think I wont be talking about anyones underwear-- but things get weird sometimes. I dont think there exists too much rhyming slang in the US, unless youre in prison. And regarding the list of expressions Bob gave, I cant even imagine how I would work any of those into a conversation without sounding like a complete whack job! Back to my stick-shift question, it didnt come out right when I posted it. This is something Ive wondered about for a long time (maybe I have too much time on my hands!) Do they look like: 1 3 5 2 4 R OR 5 3 1 R 4 2

Oh my dear god! Guess I better get that changed!

Jeremy--- dare I ask what it rhymes with?

Well this certainly went in the wrong direction! *Lets clarify: Yes I am female. A chick, a broad, dame, lass, beaver, etc... (example attached) *Sorry, I didnt mean to imply everyone there is short. My brother, in his own way of tormenting me said "You know youre going to tower over everyone there, right? Everyone will be eye level with your boobs, then what?." heh so I was just checking. *Oh! And gingerbeer is a kind of soda (pop? I dont know what its called there), its actually really awful, but a friend of mine once said I was a tall glass of gingerbeer. I think he meant gingerale, in reference to my hair color (red) but I thought it was charming anyway so decided to adopt it as a screenname. BTW the creme egg comment made me laugh!

Billy I said I love jazz, not TO jazz! :) Well since Im open to being the object of ridicule, Im going to ask a few questions hopefully someone will answer. And feel free to make fun of the dumb Americans in the process... Is it true that: I will tower over most of the populace being 6 feet tall, 6'3 in heels? Most bars do not allow you to start a tab? Gyms dont stay open 24 hours? And does the stick on a manaual tranmission in a European car go 5 3 1 or 1 3 5 ??? R 4 2 2 4 R